Between Light and Darkness
by themostdarkestheart
Summary: Together with Yubel, Juudai finally has to fulfill a mission for which he already had been born for in an earlier life, this mission is to destroy the light of destruction. But the light is already out to get him and Yubel - Yubel x Juudai
1. Chapter 1

Between light and Darkness – english version

PROLOGUE

"Juudai...Juudai..." a voice echoed through the deep darkness and the black night. Juudai turned round andsaw nothing more than darkness. No other soul apart from him was present.And still the voice sounded so strangely known and familiar. "Juudai.." she echoed through the endless depths of the dark nothing. A voice of full longing and full love, as if she only would long for him, for Juudai.

And then she appeared in front of him, a creature of enormous size. Strand of pale gray and purple hair fell into her face and her two coloured eyes shone in the darkness, the right one being orange and the left one teal. Her face had a strange cvolour as well, a light purple and on her light blue lips was a gentle smile. But also the rest of her body made her attractive: she wore a skintight suit of black leather, so short that it just covered her right female chest -- she had funnily enough only one such a chest the other was flatly like that one of a man. Her stomach also remained bare and showed a long navel. Her long legs also revealed a hermaphroditic nature, the one was femalely formed, with a high heeled shoe, the other was more muscular and ended in a bird claw. However, of impressive size were her wings, a dark purple with black bars which spread out the wings. It were these which revealed her true origin. She looked like a Demon from the hell: dangerous, nevertheless graceful. She was Yubel, the dragon, the one, which has tied her heart to Juudai for ever ...

"Juudai, we have become one ... and we will fight against the light of the destruction together as of now ... the day on which we fulfill our destiny will come soon. But I am nevertheless afraid of this day...Juudai ... will this day, if it begins, seperate us forever? Or will I nevertheless be able to still be with you?" This question echoed through the room, the emptiness, the silence, and Juudai wasn't capable of giving any answer to it ...

Yubel still held Juudai's body tight in her arms and had not let go of him the entire time. Since they had interrupted their fight and had flown out to space, Juudai had moved not one bit because his body was soulless now. Should she take him like this to the universe? Had it been rushed perhaps a little that she had disappeared with him? His friends worried about him certainly very much ... Yubel saw on his beautiful face which seemed to sleep gently now. She didn't have much time left and she had to make a decision. Because if Juudai shouldn't find a soul in this body very soon, then said body will die. He still felt quite warm and Yubel had to admit that she enjoyed his warmth more than everything else.

The light of the destruction ... it still shines someplace in this infinite universe ...

the feeling of love which has come over her with the fusion has made her dizzy. But Juudai in her was still so very silent that she already worried whether he was well in her soul. "Hold out, Juudai! I will protect you! I don't allow that something happens to you ..." And they neverhtless had a mission to fulfill, a mission which had been deigned for over thousands of years, whose fulfillment was already overdue for a long time.

They had to find it, the light of the destruction. Not only it but also the person who carried it in himself.


	2. Juudai's rescue

Chapter 1: JUUDAI'S rescue

"Yubel ... no worry, you aren't alone. We will show you the way which you have to go ... don't hate us for this because it is our mission to help Juudai like yours is to watch over his soul which he even has entrusted to you himself."

Yubel looked up when she heard her name in the midst of the colored darkness of the universe. Stars seemed everywhere, radiated their light after their life was over. She stopped as she heard that voice speaking and it seemes familiar to her.

And then a shape appeared in front of her in a bright light and almost dazzled her."Neos!" "Yubel... we know what has happened. Juudai is in your soul but the time for your union still hasn't come yet. Because the light of destruction still is out there. "Neos...", Yubel whispered gottenly, "how can I help Juudai? Why isn't he answering me when I call for him inside my soul?" "Everything with time. Yubel, you must follow me first. Juudai's body needs back his soul. And you both must recover. You have suffered from deep wounds in your common fight which is necessary to heal. You cannot fulfill your mission if you are so wounded. You must fortify yourselves or the light of the destruction will have an easy game with you . " Yubel nodded, understood the explanations Neos very well. Everything she wanted was that Juudai was well, therefore nothing elese remained for her but to follow Neos and trsut him, even if it was diffficult for her so shortly after the fight against Juudai and all the hate that she had felt not too long ago.

She followed Neos to the neo space.

Love moved in her when she felt that his soul woke up. Suddenly, Juudai opened his eyes and found himself besides Yubel again. His body was away, he himself as tranpsarent as a spirit. "Yubel, what has happened to me?", he asked. "Juudai", it came from Yubel when she heard his voice. She turned round, only to see the soul of her lover floating besides her. He looked confused, probably because of his new looks, but even more when he saw where they were.

They meanwhile had solid floor below the feet and didn't travel through the endless distances of space any longer. Yubel sat on the warm, soft earth of an unknown planet, the horizon wasn't colored blue as it was in the case on his earth but colored in rainbow colors which always alternated like the northern lights at the North Pole. Neos, the elemental hero, also sat on the ground opposite her and looked at Juudai. He finally then understood where he was, his condition was still, however, incomprehensible for him. "Juudai", Yubel whispered happily, "I thought already that you don't feel comfortable within me at all... or that something happened to you.." "We have to hurry before that is the case", said Neos. "Neos ... are we here where I think that we are? Is this.. Neo Space?" "yes, Juudai and I am pleased to welcome you here. Even if it has to be like this." "I first must understand what happened . I only can remember that i played Super Fusion and that I fused with Yubel and after that I cannot remember anything any more." "Yes, that's true, Juudai. You have your soul merged with me but he thinks here that it wouldn't have been supposed to be so ", Yubel thought and indicated at Neos. "Why then not? I didn't have any other idea to take you back to reason, Yubel. Or to heal your wounds..." "I know, I know, but tell this to him!" The boy looked to the elemental hero and Neos nodded.

"I see, I must explain something to you both. Not only was has happened already, but also what you will have to do next. He got up, looked at both seriously and continued: "Well, your souls have merged, you know so much for now. But you have to know also which consequences this will have, right? Juudai, Yubel, you know now again, after you both remember your past together, of your mission. Especially Yubel because for this mission and by her love for Haou she has turned herself into what she now. And it is this mission to find and to destroy "light of destruction" so that furthermore the gentle darkness is protected. Because isn't itwhat you have called when you held Juudai in your arms? That you both will fight against the light? Your opportunity of it has come, because the light has appeared again" "Now so you want to help us to find the light of the destruction so that we fight against it?", Yubel asked. "Where it is?" "well, that is the difficulty. We don't know exactly where the light is but it is a question of time, until the light meets the chosen one of the darkness and this is our Juudai here. The light tries everything to harm Juudai, so he must regain his powers and be protected as best as possible." Yubel looked up and her eyes widened with fright because the words of Neos reminded her again of what had already happened once in an earlier life as her task was that she protected Juudai. But she had failed and never forgiven herself for it again. Would she fail and he die once again?

"Now it is, however, so that we have another problem and this is his body here. " Neos released the look on Juudais body which soullessly lay on the ground. Juudai was frightened. It was a far too big shock for him to see himself so anyway more than he had suspected. The whole situation seemed unreal to him almost like in a bad film. Yubel looked at Juudai with concern and then asked Neos: "What we shall do?" "Now, Juudai has to go back on the earth. He has to go back to his friends because the light already is there. It would be better if he would get his body back for this mission since it houses a part of Juudais power. But for this we must resolve the fusion which has brought you together again and this will get very difficult. We need a special power for it but it is dangerous to get it. You will have to take a great risk." "We will do it!", Juudai called, " we must, if the light actually is on earth again, hold it back then before somebody like Saiou can come under its influence again. I don't want that somebody like Edo must suffer from the consequences of this light once again!" "That is very honorable of you and from you speaks a true hero and I respect that very much.", meant Neos. "I will do my most possible so that you arrive in good condition on earth again. Both listen to me now. The power which you need so that Juudai can return into his body again lies in the part of the neon space which has been threatened by the light of the destruction once. I can show you the way, you, however, must manage the rest of the way by yourselves. So it will be a test, at the same time how well you both will work together." "what you mean with that?" "Juudai you have entrusted to Yubel mothing less than your percious soul. You have proved with that how very much you trust her. It is to prove at her now how much she trusts you. You should go by this test together because it is your common mission to fight against the light. It is an important mission in your two lives", Neos declared with a quiet voice.He got up and made clear, that also Yubel should get up, what she immediately did, too. Neos took the body Juudai's and put him into her arms and she immediately pushed his body narrowly to himself. "Don't worry Juudai, I will protect you and not fail once again. I will show you that you can trust me ", she whispered softly. Juudai blushed when he saw how tender Yubel hold his body. The fact that he could exactly feel what Yubel was feeling at this moment made him even more embarrased, he knew exactly about the feverish feeling of love which had taken possession of her. so this is what she is feeling for me? he thought astonished. "Yubel ... I know it anyway. I trust you completely. We will manage this somehow, no worry. You don't have to be afraid either that something happens to me. With you on my side nothing will happen to me." Yubel nodded at Juudai's soul. "I hope for it very much anyway. I could never forgive myself, if you should die once again .," "In the body of the invincible Yubel never." "Ts", Yubel made, " you have an incomparable charm, Juudai." They then followed Neos who led them to a cliff and they passed by innumerable ravines and woods on their way to their first examination.

" How much time do we have until Juudai has to be inside of his body again?" Neos looked up and looked to the heavens. "As soon as the fourth moon has set there", he thought and pointed on a big sky body, " you must have made it until then or Juudai will have to live inside of you as a soul, for all times." I wouldn't think of it as that bad actually Yubel thought. "Yubel ... however, I would nevertheless like to have my body back!", said Juudai in a reproachful undertone. The Demoness looked somewhat hurt by this comment. "Man, Juudai, as much as I enjoy that you are inside me, so slowly I think that it is a bit getting on my nerves that you immediatly know what I think", she admitted. "This is probably the logical consequence from the fusion anyway, right? If you were in me, it wouldn't be different either." "Yes, maybe you are right. The complete surrender of all most secret thoughts had had to be expected. But say, Neos. What exactly are we looking for? And where do we find it?" "You will notice when that power encounters you." "That's really helpful.." "No, joke! It is a magical artefact which you must find. A great crystal ball, round and of shimmering colors. It must be in this area ", said Neos and took a swing movement with a broad arm to show them the distance which was under them someplace. The breath broke off Yubel. And they should find something so small in all of this? This was almost impossible but she couldn't give up already alone to please Juudai. What did the two therefore other have left but to go through there?

"I understand. We then hurry. We will do this.", Yubel said and had tried to sound as optimistically as possible, but Neos spoke back: "Yubel as long as you inwardly cherish the desire to live with Juudai inside of you, you will not be able to save him. I hope this is clear to you." Then he turned round and turned for going. "I have nevertheless confidence that you will successfully bring about your present mission behind you. Good luck " and the elemental hero disappeared and left both alone with that.

Juudai enjoyed the feeling with to fly with Yubel through the far country. She had spread her wings out in a full span width to be able to fly still faster since they didn't have much time left and, they exactly didn't even know where they should begin to search. Yubel still held Juudai's body safe in her arms and she said to his soul: "Juudai, we have no longer much time left! I trust you and your abilities. I know that we can make it with your help. Please tell me when you see something important and I will do the same." All clear, Yubel!" Juudai tried to recognize something and to open his heart to do this, to perhaps see something which only souls could see. He doubted for a while that he would succeed in finding at all something strange ... and he then felt something anyway.

"Yubel ... please wait ", Juudai thought quietly and Yubel stopped in the air briefly. "You discovered something?", Yubel asked him curiously. "Yes", meant Juudai and looked around searching. He noticed a cave, not far under them and as strangely it seemed to him, he really could feel a strange power out of this cave. The brown-haired said "something seems to be there in the cave below!", and indicated it. "Are you sure?", the hermaphrodite enquired. "Yes, quite sure. Do you feel nothing? It is a strangely dangerous aura. Perhaps it is this what Neos has meant. This strange force of the light which shall be here in this part of Neo Space.." "Right", Yubel said thoughtfully when she remembered the words of the elemental hero again. The yellow third eye on her forehead shined when Yubel concentrated and she nodded determinedly. "You are rightm below us there is something strange. We look, for the crystal could be hidden there below in the cave" She flew with him to below and landed shortly before the receipt of the cave, she still simply shunned to go in herself, however. "I don't know what expects us there but a bad feeling seizes me ..." "Do we have another choice, Yubel? We have to go through it." "I know, I know", Yubel whispered and prowled lost in thought through the hair of the lifeless Juudai in her arms, breathed in deeply and slowly strode towards the receipt of the cave.


	3. In the soul cave

First off, thanks to doodle-chan and Yin7 for the reviews. Here is the next chapter that i successfully translated into english from the german original that I also wrote.

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Chapter 2: In the soul cave-

Immediatly the darkness reiceived her, so deep, that even Yubel couldn't see anything for a few moments. But then Juudai called: "Look there!" And he pointed at a way in front of them which seemed to divert itself.

Yubel could actually recognize through the darkness now that two entrances could be seen directly in front of them. "Juudai, what shall we do? Which way shall we choose?"

"We could just try to some way, right? Maybe the left one?"

"Ha, and what if we get lost?"

"Then we go back again and take the other way."

Yubel smiled first and giggled then because she somehow found it sweet that Juudai was so naive sometimes. "Juudai, this cannot be your seriousness. Do you really think that we so simply can find our way back if we have chosen a way already? If it is a trap and we can be sure that it is, then we will have no way to turn back or find our way back again later."

The soul of the boy floated thoughtfully besides Yubel. He nodded: "Yes, you are right, But what shall we do then?"

But Yubel could give no more answer on this question because she dazzled all of a sudden an unbelievably bright light and a strange voice which didn't seem to come from this world spoke with them.

"I have already waited for you two, the chosen one of the darkness and his guardian. I know of your desire and still it will only be granted if you pass this test and if you can defy the light, my power, together..."

"Who are you?", Yubel shouted through the light, but she didn't get an answer to the question back - the light repeated only hollowly his words, reminded them of what they just have heard.

"Choose a way. The light will shine and shine in your souls and in your heart. The light will fulfill you and replace the darkness of your heart." Then the voice died away, just like the shining and it was difficult for Yubel to recognize something in the darkness so shortly after the light has dazzled her so. Juudai besides her looked more than determined but Yubel suddenly felt weak and tired.

"Juudai, what do you mean? What we shall do?"

"We choose a way, Yubel. Also at the risk that it was the wrong way , what else would remain for us but to go onwards? We cannot turn back. Our life is like a one-way street . "

Surprised to hear such a comparison from Juudai, Yubel nodded and slowly approached one of the two junctions. "Then I choose the left half."

Juudais soul nodded. "I trust you and your choice "

"Good." And together they took the first cautious steps into the nothing.

If she only wouldn't have made this mistake. Yubels eyes felt so heavy and she felt too weak to open them at all, she flatly lay with her body on the cold ground and it was difficult for her to concentrate on her surroundings, it costed too much strength to focus her spirit on what should come now. What had happened? What is with Juudai? Juudai ...

The thought of him put her up again and enough strength suddenly returned to her so thast she could open her three eyes and see again. She suddenly had enough strength, although only sedentarily but that she could repel of the ground and straighten up again. Weakened, nevertheless strengthened by the thought of her beloved one she looked up - and she saw into the fluent face of a light nature whose yellowish orange light dived the stome room into a warm light. A quiet "Who are you?", escaped her blue lips ashtonishedly and the creature in front of her, who didn't seem to have any right shape, yes, not even a right face, laughed soflty in case of the question.

"Do you not remember? ", it said quietly in his seductive voice, "Yubel, how you cannot remember me any more when we have met each other already so many millenia ago? Or do you want to say to me that a creature like you, more than a human being, capable of remembering his earlier life could actually get forgetful, too?" This confused this but she decided to say nothing for now, her face got hard and determined.

"I only remember the important things, unknown creature", she replied intensely.

The creature only giggled more, obviously more than amused by Yubels behaviour. "So you really have forgotten, Yubel ... our first meeting in the depths of the dimensions in which you restlessly floated on the desperate search for your lover ... do you still know? For thousands of years you have travelled until we met and until I have paved a new way for you ... I shone in you, in your soul and gave you powers of which you couldn't even dare to dream, even though you have this impenetrable shield, Yubel, and these powers of the dragon which pulsate through your veins... " Yubels eyes narrowed when she had started to slowly remember again. At the time between the dimensions ... at the time still before Juudai's birth ... there she had met only one, and then again, as she floated in the depths of the universe, thrown away by destiny once more, but this second time of Juudai himself.

"Hikari", she ejected. "Hikari, is that you? The light of Destruction.. Hikari no Hado..." The creature in front of her smiled gently.

"You see, it works anyway ... you remember me again at least. Had been a pity if you would have really forgotten me... when I have shown you your way..."

"Hikari, where is Juudai?? What have you done with him?", Yubel ejected when she noticed that she was completely alone with the creature in a room.

"Juudai ... oh yes, you mean the chosen one of the darkness ... he isn't here because I first wanted to speak alone with you, without anyone disturbing us both."

"What do you have to talk with me about, Hikari? We have nothing to do with each other any more. We are enemies and don't forget that it is my and Juudai's mission to destroy you once and for all I would pay attention in your place because it might very well be that your destruction happens right here and now!!"

The glowing humanoid gave a laugh "I want to see this ", he replied, " I am the light, Yubel. I cannot be undone unless of the darkness and also only, if the darkness is in the hearts of all people. But this is impossible. The universe is big and there consequently will always be somebody who is willing to let me into his heart. Like you were willing. Or Saiou." He got up and still more light seemed to come out from him when he did this.

"Yubel ... you can try it safely but I don't think that you will succeed today and now. I already have doubts about it by the fact alone that I actually want to play only a round with you. I only want to see if you are dignified to come to me already. Our real fight ..." , and his voice got almost fatal and Yubel had shaken with fear now, "will start only later."

"Where is Juudai?"

"Ha, you still only worry about this boy. You are really incorrigible. Shouldn't you worry still more about yourself? In your situation I would rather do this!"

"What do you mean?"

"Ha ... haha, you still haven't noticed it? You are in greater danger than you think! Our game has already started, Yubel, while we are speaking here. Let's see how well you do - and if you are able to get out of this safely and save your souls, so that they are not sacrificed to my honor!"

"What the hell do you mean?", Yubel yelled out, but then Hikari disappeared and dissolved into the trifle.

"You will see it, Yubel, you will see. And if not here, then you and the chosen one of the darkness will meet the chosen one of the light and the final fight will take place. But til then, try to get out of this place. Out of the soul-cave!", he laughed out loud as he disappeared.

"What?" But then Yubel noticed it: she was quite alone and far away of Juudai and, as if this weren't already enough, she remarked that she felt different somehow. No longer firm ... as if she hasn't an own body any longer. "Damn, what happened here? Where is Juudai?" When she tried to repel of the ground to straighten up she saw how her hands disappeared to the ground. She realized what had happened there. She didn't have her body any more and was only a bare soul. Exactly like Juudai. But then why Juudai wasn't with her?

Black darkness fulfilled his soul and let him be aware of nothing any more -- a bright light then broke through the darkness, without taking away the however still unsaid, unfelt knowledge that he was completely alone now and no more under the care of his protectress. Juudai opened his eyes and noticed that he floated alone at the precipice of a gigantic cliff and then looked around him for Yubel to see that her body was also no more in his proximity. Their souls had somehow have been separated from each other too, however.. how was this possible if they haven't found this said percious stineyet? At all events he hadn't heard her thoughts already eternally any more. He had therefore immediately noticed it when he had woken up again. But what had happened in the meantime and why Yubel was no more with him? Where was his body then which has been under her care anyway?

"Yubel !! Where are you?" he shouted when he decided to perhaps find her with his shouts. But he couldn't know that he would attract another creature with that and not necessarily his protectress.

A light suddenly dazzled him and he yelled out with pain, as something drilled through him and he asked himself simultaneously how it could be that he could feel pains at all if he was bodiless. A quiet giggling let him shudder. "so I have finally found you, too.I am sorry if you have waited for me too long, chosen one of the darkness. I first wanted to talk with your friend."

"Who are you?", Juudai panted.

"haha, don't tell me that you also forgot who I am? We have fought against each ohter, in your second school year. Though back then I have found a host for myself, who took me in and that more than willingly."

Juudai thought hard. Second school year? Host for a power? Could it be? "Then you must be... the light of Destruction..", he wheezed. The light in front of him materialized into a shining humanoid and his shrill laughter lingered on in the ears of the brown-haired.

"Yes, I am, that is me. And as you see now, I have you finally under my control, far away from your protectress. I only wonder whether I should already take revenge now for that you have dared to foil my plans with the armed forces satellite. If I erase you now, then I have less problems later..."

"What have you done to Yubel?"

"Hm.. now, don't tell me that you are worried about her? She is well - still. But like I already said you should worry more about yourself. Because here your life ends and I can definitly say that the death of a soul is far more painful and worse than if you would die in your body. All the more joy will it make to me if I would see you suffering like this... " And the humanoid set for a next attack on Juudai at these words and the brown-haired had a try to regain his strenght again which he couldn't hope to succeed at in the few seconds in which he could react.

A glistening beam flew towards Juudai but he suddenly felt a wave of darkness which turned the light away of him. He opened his eyes, to see the soul of Yubel floating in front of himself and he could only hear Hikari snorting contemptuously when he saw that he had failed.

"Yubel!" Juudai heard himself saying surprised when her face turned round to him and smiled.

"No worries, Juudai, I will always protect you, just like I have sworn I would do."

"How can it be that you escaped from your prison?", Hikari shouted furiously.

"Ha, don't you get it? I am a soul and as such connected to Juudai. I will always be where his soul is - because this is the destiny of the fusion we experienced." The light gave a laugh.

"Indeed, that is really the destiny of the fusion. Just like it is your destiny that you will perish in front of me, just like it happened once already. But Yubel.. haven't I promised you rhat you will lose your darkness here. Let's see how you feel without it!"

"AAAHHH!" Yubel yelled out when a wave of light penetrated her and brought out all her darkness from her. She retreated and fell to the ground,directly in front of the shocked Juudai who could do nothing but to watch

. "Yubel!" he yelled out and shook her, "Yubel, please get up! Yubel, what is with you?"

"There is nothing bad happening with her, with the except that she loses her important life essence ", Hikari explained, " without darkness in her heart she is a nothing, and easy to kill - and that even though it is always claimed that she is invincible..."

Juudais eyes widened with fear and still more when he saw how Yubel tried to open her eyes and to put herself up again.

"J..Juu..Juudai...", she whispered weakly, when she started to tremble insecurely, "you must get to safety.." "No!", he shouted, "I cannot allow that the light also does something to you!"

And within one moment all became clear to him, what he shall do and what this first test really consisted of. He had to show his courage. He had to show that he can use the power of the supreme king, of Haou, the darkness in her heart. And even if it was just to hold back the light for a few moments. "Hikari", he whispered as he got up, "it is too early for you to defeat us." And when he opened his eyes, they glittered golden. But even more happened: Darkness seemed to start out of Juudai, collected by his feet like a light fog and seemed to wrap him. The power of his darkness finally got so strong that the light had to retreat and could withstand this no more. So strong that it wrapped both Yubel and Juudai and let both disappear in the trifle far far away from the aggressive light.

But the light, Hikari, already knew that it would happen so and giggled only quietly when he granted them to retread. Should they only disappear, he already knew that they would see each other again. The final fight would come one day. For sure. Because the chosen one of the light will soon awake.

And also something elsemade the light confident: He had managed to sow new doubts and to shine renewed in a new soul.

"We will see each other again ... but this time, it won't be a fight between souls. Because I have the power to change your destinym and I will seperate you from each other. First your bodies, then your souls. You are so human and thus full of human faults. With faults which will cost you the life at the end."

Juudai needed a while until he could think clearly again and his memories had returned to him again. He found himself in front of the receipt of the cave again but not more as a bare soul, but with his solid body. He held himself a hand to the forehead and breathed in deeply when he had a try to just reexperiencing what has just happened. What had happened? They don't really have met the Light of destruction again, the light that he thought he already had defeated, right? And why had he suddenly got back his body and had been still a bare soul before some few moments? What the hell only had happened?

But he couldn't really think about it because something already happened again.

"Juudai!" Yubel yelled out and ran to him, just to take him into her arms and push him to herself tightly. "Yubel ..." whispered Juudai surprised when he suddenly felt the warmth of her body around his, an unusual feeling after he had been bodiless, especially after he started to get used to have no own body any longer and to instead live in Yubel. he put his arms hesitantly around her, and pushed her to himself a little bit more when he noticed that she has started to sob, her muscles being captured in wild unchecked twitches, in the wuiet hope that his embrace would soother her pains a little at the moment. Whatever pain she might have felt in that moment. He didn't know. Was it joy, was it mourning? What made more sense? And he noticed suddenly how much empathy he lacked empathy sometimes and this knowledge made him still more embarrassed.

"Yubel...", he quietly asked through her sobs, "what is with you, Yubel?" And he took both his hand and put them gently on her cheeks, to lift her head up from the look at the ground, so that their eyes could meet. Tw coloured eyes full of tears looked into his face, and a sting drove to his heart without him being able to say why. He then noticed it. He didn't want to see her so sad.

It was the same mourning that she had shown him once already, when they had fought against each other and he wanted to destroy her, the same pleading, quiet and for pardon and sympathy demanding face. The same face from then, when she asked him whether he would love Johan more than her and how it could be that all his love, promised to her, was now dedicated to him instead.

And he gently wiped her tears aside, caught in a new feeling, the strange feeling that it had happened sometime before, that he held her in his arms like this just like this. An old memory went through him and let him do what he just did.

And he slowly and tenderly put his lips on the blue Yubels. Her eyes first widened with fright, but then she closed her eyes, when she could taste the taste of his lips after such a long time. The same taste as at that time... how could it be that some things never change even after thousands of millenia? That they are just the same way like in earlier already over days?

Juudai solved the kiss,when he saw what he did, when he realized that he just gave away his first kiss to Yubel. He blushed with shame and turned away of her to hide from her and the hermaphrodite also would go red caught in the memories of the just experienced kiss. "Juudai", she whsipered softly, "you...kissed me?"

"Yes", the brown-haired admitted coyly, and then he realized, that it had a positive effect at least, because Yubel had suddenly got quiet and her tears have dried. When he noticed this, he was even a bit proud that he had managed to comfort her. Yubel let go of him and looked at him astonishedly.

It passed a while until she noticed: "Well, now that we have come through our mission unhurtly so we can go back, right?"

"Yes, that's right but I still don't understand what happened", Juudai said and sank down to the ground in the entrance of the cave. "At all events I have my body back and you too, so it has something good."

Yubel was just silent and then Judai asked her another question: "Yubel, why have you been so apart from you just a few seconds ago? I have never experienced you like this before!"

"Oh, it was nothing, really... I was just happy to have seen you again unhurt. I simply have been worried about you." But even when she spoke those words, she noticed that in her innermost that she only cried actually because she longed for a final union with Juudai and wanted to never be separated from him because this fusion with him had been a blessing -- and now it should be past? So simply?

But they had to go on. The meeting with Hikari no Hado, the light, frightened her somehow and still she was sure that she would manage to fulfill this mission with Juudai at her side somehow, even if the risk of failing was enormously high. After all, they had it behind themselves and they also managed to achieve even more: They got their bodies back and he even had kissed her. At this thought she got lost in thought while putting a finger on her lips until Juudai looked curipously into her face and grinned so that she found back to reality suddenly. "Juudai!!"

"Yubel.. why so lost in though?" The hermaphrodite smiled and took his hand while she and he both got up.

"Come, Juudai. You also want to go home, right? Back to your friends? They must really miss you incredibly... Then let's go home...", she whispered softly and seductively when she pushed him closer to her, "take good hold of me!"

"Yes", the brown-haired boy nodded and took good hold of her as best as he could. She spread her wings out to full span width and rose into the air with firm wing strokes. Juudai couldn't describe what a wonderful feeling it was, this weightlessness, to see how everything underneath them became smaller as they flew higher. He laughed, together with Yubel, when they disappeared into the sky. Below them, an elemental hero watched them and he nodded contentedly while they became a shooting star, that got on the long way to earth to go down there.


	4. Return to Duel Academy

Chapter 3-: The return to duel academy-

"Juudai! You are back " !! Sho could hardly take hold of his luck when he could actually recognize his big brother in the darkness and the falling off light. But he hadn't come back alone, a person still could be recognized besides him. Sho was frightened.

It was a great shape with long demon wings. Yubel, the one which has made all of them suffer. The one which has let all his friends disappear.

When she noticed Sho, she extended her wings and flew away. Juudai looked after her questioningly but he understood her. Probably she wanted to give him the time to see his friends again, probably she didn't want to remind them of the just recently experienced moments, which were painful for everyone. "Juudai...Aniki..." He turend round to Sho.

"Hello Sho! We have fried shrimps today, right?"

"Yeah! Of course!" He intensely flung himself into the arms of his Aniki.

"Wow, Sho, take it slowly!", Juudai laughed.

"I am just happy to see you again, Aniki!" Tears of joy ran down his cheeks and he hastily wiped them away at his sleeves. "But say wasn,'t that just..??" Juudai didn't know wheter to tell Sho the truth straight away or not.

But he was his little brother, he had to do it and he would be able to conceal it from him only with difficulty. "Yes. This was Yubel. I had been with her on a long journey and am just now back."

"But why..? I thought that you wanted to destroy her!"

Juudai shook his head. "No, I couldn't do this, I wouldn't have been capable of it. She simply was despaired. I have hurt her, and now ... let's say, we have putten all of our differences away and are going along very well now."

"Hm, but there still are something that I don't quite get... everything happened so fast."

"I can explain them at the dinner, right? Now come, Sho, or nothing for remain for us!" Sho laughed and was happy to see Juudai like this, he had apparently completely remained the old. Eating was still what he loved to do the most. And especially this evening,because his favourite meal was on the card.

Yubel saw the two disappear in the direction of the duel academy. She decided to drop in on Juudai tonight once again to find out how he is. Perhaps also because she was already longing for him now. To be seperated from him for only few seconds costed her an unbelievable degree of overcoming and she was surprised all at once how she was able to get on in space without having her lover. And even now, this moment, it still seemed unreal to her. Surrealistic. Juudai had been able to forgive her. Juudai who had already decided her destruction because she was in his way, only because she demanded from him what was promised to her ages ago. Juudai, who made her suffer for such a long time and who wanted to let her die painfully. And in the end they were in each others arms, and fused their very souls together. In thend, they decided to live together as of now and to fulfill their common mission.

The thought on the forthcoming mission fulfilled Yubel with unrest because what power would the light still have on her? Would it be able to poison her heart again? To dull her thoughts a second time and to seal the gentle darkness of her heart? But why do light and darkness have to fight against each other? This fight, it has already lasted since the beginning of time...

Yubel smiled, as she recognized how her thoughts got lost in the infinity, to questions that she was not able to answer. She thought of Juudai again and smiled still a little bit more, when she got up from the branch on the tree and put a hand to the bark. She looked to the full moon. Who would have thought that she could ever feel so happy and content? Her eyes glittered, as the wind gently played with her hair and she whispered Juudais name lovingly.

In the canteen Juudai got with at least two full plates back to Sho. Just when he had sat down, Kenzan, Fubuki, Rei, Asuka and Johan already came in, too. Juudai shone with luck when he recognized them and saw that they all had been well. He noticed only now that since Yubel had kidnapped them all they haven't been together and it was already a long time ago. His friends also shone out of happiness, when they saw that Juudai was well, too. He stood up and everyone lay immediately each others arms. "Juudai! My, I am glad, that you are well!", said Kenzan. "We have you missed you so !"

"Yes, I missed you too!"

"Where the heck have you been?"

"That is a long story", Juudai admitted. Everyone sat down near him and Juudai's look turned to a boy with dark turquoise hair, who still stood in the door and stared back at Juudai, with joy in his face. "Johan!" "Juudai.

"I cannot believe it..you are really back!" He slowly approached him. "I am so happy about it. We all have been so worried about you. We have wondered for days where you could have disappeared but all of us can sleep calmly again now since you are here", he laughed. Juudai suddenly felt that he was hugged by Johan. "Especially I!", he whispered . He let go of him and sat down near of him as well.

"Aniki, don't you want to tell us about what happened in the time in which you have been away? And especially about where you have been? What happened to Yubel?"

".." Juudai hesitated, because he didn't know if he should tell them all this right now or not. Should he tell them that he hasn't detroyed Yubel, that their souls had been one? That she was here? And that he has been away to find enough strenght for a new mission that lay ahead of him and that he must save the world once again? The thought didn't please him that he had still to fulfill a determination. How much he just would love to just enjoy the life at the academy, at the side of his friends who were so important to him. Neverhteless he has to have his eyes open, like someone who feels always watched. Like someone who can never rest. But he was too exhausted to be on the lookout furthermore. He only wanted to rest, and lean back. But he still couldn't do that. Because wouldn't that bring his friends into danger once again?

These interpreted his silence wrongly. "I think we should better let him enjoy his dinner ", replied Asuka, " it has damned happened much and we need time to process everything. Primarily ... the experiences that we have made in the dark world..."

"Ach, Asuka, please don't begin again with that!", Fubuki reproached her. "I don't want to think about that again!"

"Don't be like that, the one who should complain about it is Johan and not you! After all it wasn't you who was kidnapped and whose body was used afterwards!!"

"Stop it! Now sit down and enjoy that we all are together now!", Sho said, "we have waited long enough for that moment, right?"

Everyone nodded agreeing.

"Do you already plan anything tonight? If not then we could celebrate a meeting party at the Slifers!", Kenzan suggested. Juudai which has woken up from his thoughts again shook the head.

"no, this isn't possible. I would rather still be alone for a while. I am sorry ... "; he apologized with a nod of the head and his innocent eyes "however.."

"Ah, it is ok", Johan replied. "I understand what you have gone through and also that you cannot tell us everything about it now. Just get some proper rest you will need it", he said with a smile, "especially when you have to get back to the school lessons tomorrow!"

"Oh NO! I haven't made my homework at all!", stated Juudai after that.

"No worries", Asuka said, "You for sure don't have to make then now, but it is clear that you have to repeat everything, at the latest for the exam you will need it!"

"oh no ... .!", Juudai grumbled.

" But shouldn't one of us go to the headmaster quickly and tell that Juudai is back?, asked Rei.

"That's true. Do we all want to go there, or should we sent someone to tell him?"

"No, I go by myself", Juudai said and stood up, "I think we have some things to discuss anyway. We will see each other again tomorrow in class." He smiled happily at his friend and found that words could not described how happy he was to have them seen again. Then he got on the way to Samejima.

"Prinicpal, Mister Yuki is here and would like to talk to you", it sounded from the loudspeakers. Samejima looked up surprised. "Just let him come in." The doors opened and Juudai got into the room. "I wanted to talk to you, headmaster."

"Just come in and sit down. I want to ask you a couple of urgent questions."

Juudai did as he was told.

"So, Juudai, as I see, you are back again and I am most pleased with it. In this school strange things have happened for a long time, which I myself do not quite understand yet but I hope you can explain them to me on occasion." Juudais eyes widened with fright.

Had he justify himself that the whole school have disappeared into another dimension and that he was not been able to be found for a long time? The headmaster smiled.

"No, no worry, I don't want a justification from you or anything like that. I just hoped that you could give me some hints about where the remaining disappeared students are."

"so not everyone returned back from the other dimension?"

"No unfortunately.There are still many lost, like Amon and a few others. I as the principal take the responsibility for my pupils and would like to know, what happened to them."

"I am sorry, but ... unfortunately, I know nothing about this."

Samejima seemed thoughtful. "now, and what about Misawa?"

"He remained in one of the twelve dimensions voluntarily."

"I understand... now, at least you are back. Now it is really late and I think you should better return to your house. You have to get a good sleep for the lessons tomorrow - and the welcoming ceremony."

"Welcoming ceremony?"

"Yes, tomorrow the new pupils of the next year will be welcomed and I hope to find you at the ceremony again!"

"Yes, Prinicpal, that I will."

"I then wish you a good night, Juudai."

"I also do."

Juudai quietly went back to his house at the Slifers. When he saw his house again in the darkness of the night, he couldn't describe with words at all how glad he was to be allowed to be here again. Because this place was something quite special for him, his home. The place at which he lived, the place in which he could retire if he needed it.

Nevertheless a thought didn't want to leave his mind. The principal told him that not all students came back from the foreign dimension. Juudai to himself had started out from the firm opinion that Yubel has kept her promise and taken everyone home again. But this couldn't be if still not all the students hadn't returned, right? Where were they then? Has Yubel forgotten them? Would she free and bring them back if he only would ask her for it? Or are all of them just as away as Juudai and would appear again just as suddenly as he?

"Juudai ... you seem so lost in thought ... " He started and felt, how Yubel had appeared besides him and rested a hand on a shoulder.

"Juudai I know we weren't united for very long, but it was still long enough for me to know that I know about what you might think."

"You can know it thanks to your third eye anyway."

"Right. All the more you should know that you can ask me whatever question you want."

Juudai sighed. "Yubel ... where shall I begin ?? I have just learned that some students are still absent and I wanted to know ... well ... how can I say it.. ?? If you don't know what happened to them, since you have been the one who let them disappear."

Yubel sulked after that. "That sounds as if you think I could do that again."

It ran ice-coldly down Juudai's back and he said sorry immediatly. "No, I haven't mkeant it like that!"

"so so... well, what i can say to that is... yes, I have freed them all, everyone who I have captured also the lost students. I dunno where they are, but I was sure that they also would return..." She seemed thoughtful "Especially when all the others already returned and are here."

"So, you yourself don't know it?"

She just shook her head. "No..but that would mean that.." She didn't need to finish that sentence because Juudai knew anyway what she would be going to say.

"So you think, that the power of the light has already hit out here?"

"It would be conceivable at least. But we souldn't worry about it yet. Go to sleep first, you will need it. Tomorrow, the school routine begins for you again."

"Yubel, what about you? Where are you sleeping?"

"Don't be worried about me, I will be all fine."

"No Yubel... don't you want to come with me for a moment? With that he took her left hand and pulled her after him until they reached the steps of the Slifer Red House. He went them up, together with Yubel and then happily pushed the door open to his room. Then he let Yubels hand off, danced through the room and sat down on the bed and smiled at Yubel who still still stood in the door, surprised and looked through the room. To see Juudai like that, he being on this bed... she slightly blushed.

He looked at her questioningly. "Why don't you come in? No Fear, nothing will happen to you here." The hermaphrodite hesitated, but then went in anyway and almost looked reverenlty at the furniture.

"Why have you brought me here?"

Juudai laughed: "Isn't this obvious? I wanted to show you the place I live at. This here is my room which I by the way share with Sho. The icy-blue haired little boy", he added when Yubel looked at him with a questioning look.

"Ah, the one who noticed me..", she whispered. Suddenly she got conscious of the fact little she got to know about Juudai's life. They have shared their memories only for a short time, but even that could not deceive the fact about how many years she couldn't spend with Juudai and how much she has missed of his life. Nothing could return the time that she could have had with him if she wouldn't have been in space... she got quite sad at that thought.

Juudai approached her and hugged her tightly. Yubel looked down to him surprised and then also put her arms around him, enjoying his warmth. "Yubel ... I know, that you are sad ...and also why..."

"Juudai..."

"No no.., I know it is my fault, I simply have banished you from my life although ieverything you wanted was to be with me. We have to make so much up, to learn so much from each other. But doesn't it matter that we are together again? ? Now, in this moment?"

"Oh ...Juudai, yes..." ,She smiled and both staggered around the room until they threw themselves both on the bed, Yubel above Juudai. She hugged Juudai tightly and covered him with her big wings and caressed him gently. Both looked into the eyes and Yubel asked hesitantly:"Can I kiss you, Juudai?"

He nodded: "Yes, you can."

She lowered her face to his and touched his lips tenderly and gently. She then rose again, looked at him and turned round. Juudai was amazed, why she behaved so suddenly, and looked at her, surprised. She turned round to him.

"Why do you already want to go? Remain for a little bit longer."

Yubel looked at him with a look full of desire and her face was still red anyway. She shook the head. "I cannot. You know that this here is your home, that you moreover don't have alone for yourself. Your friends will come here soon, isn't that right? When they are here, it would be better if I had disappeared already long ago before they come."

"hm.. right.. but.. I would prefer for you to stay a bit longer nevertheless", Juudais said and looked away when he turned red. Yubel looked up. Should this mean something?

"No worry, I will still protect you, Juudai, in the sleep, too. I will always be in your proximity, as far as it is possible for me."

"Ha, does that mean that you will sleep under my window?"

"well, if it has to be like that, then I will do that! But now, it is really late and you should sleep. especially if this ceremony is held tomorrow."

"How do you know of that?"

"haha, you know that i can read thoughts, right?"

"But... apparently not all..."

Yubel went even redder: "They way you talk one could think that you want something of me..." She twitched together at these words, because they have came out faster out of her mouth than she had thought about them. Juudai at this smiled even more and his russet eyes looked at her gently.

"Oh, then I have told my friends completely for free that I don't want to see them here tonight because I would like to be alone."

"Tja, you are alone then, right? I am about to leave now, Juudai. Rest, really..." She came to him and stroked his cheek, " you know that very exhausting things wait for us soon. You must be completely well rested, to be ready for it ."

The boy leaned back and sighed: "Yes, I know ... but ... Yubel, it is damn not that easy to know that you are destined for something big. I don't want it any more... and I have the feeling that I cannot any more either."

„This is it., that's why you should rest. Not give up your caution but rest. That is the most important thing for now."

He sighed again. "There is nothing we can do about it, right? I will perhaps never have a life in peace."

"No, at least not now. But, heroes never have a life in peace, or am I wrong here?"

Juudai giggled. "Right", he said grinning. Yubel smiled, submitted down to Juudai and gave a short good night kiss to him on the cheek.

"Sleep well and don't think too much about everything", she said, carrassed his hair on the forehead and went through the door which she carefully closed behind her. Juudai looked after her, let himself fall back and closed his eyes tiredly.

Why does Yubel behave so strange? He thought that now that everything between them is settled, everything would return to normality again. Or were the wounds still so deep on both sides that they couldn't recover from it any more? Perhaps still more time really should pass?

It came added to that that Juudai was confused. What did he feel for Yubel? What for Johan? Friendship or even love? What for whom of the two? Why did he want to have Yubel with him tonight and why does the kiss she gave to him felt so good? Or the embrace of Johan when he returned?

Yes, maybe the time would give more information...

With this and many other thoughts Juudai fell finally asleep, knowing for sure, that he was safe under the care of Yubel. At least for now.


	5. The welcome ceremony

Chapter 4-: The welcome ceremony-

Darkness was around him but it suddenly disappeared and retired under the influence of the light gushing in. He could see Yubel, with a gentle smile on her face, but simultaniously her facila expression also showed suffering. Suddenly she bent herself as if in pain, and her eyes got this empitness. The scene then changed and he recognized something suddenly in the glistening light that dazzled him . A girl with long fair hair with closed eyes and a raised pose. The light seemed to start out from her. And when she opened the eyes ...

Then a cushion fell in the middle of Juudai's face.

He frightened up only to hear the laughter of Kenzan and Sho, who have woken him up this way . Both looked with a grin into his face. "Aniki, wake up, we don't have much time left!" Juudai yawned and stretched his hands into the air only to lie down again and close the eyes pleasurably. He whispered softly "only another couple of minutes more ..."

"This isn't possible", thought Sho when he put his school uniform on and packed his schoolbag up under the looks of Kenzan. "Juudai, get up already!!", he pressed him again. Reluctantly this one sat up and painted himself the hair from the face.

"Puh, if I didn't have to get up so early, I would be quite pleased with school" He got up and went in the bath to make himself fresh and then pack his things. Sho and Kenzan already waited outside on the stairs for him while Yubel was venturing a quick look by the window to perhaps catch a look at her dearest Juudai. But she didn't manage it because he already was with his schoolbag out through the door to being his first real schoolday after so long. It would hopefully take place without great incidents.

Juudai joined Johan which immediately received him. "hello, Juu! Yes, you are extremly early here for your conditions!", he grinned. Everyone was in a large pupil crowd directly in front of the gates of the duel academy and waited for the admission into the big lecture room where the opening ceremony should take place. "They want to welcome the new pupils with a traditional duel, right?", Sho asked.

"Of course. there memories of my first duel here become alive", Johan indulged himself lost in thought.

"Yes and your first duel was of all things against me! You didn't have your rainbow dragon at that time yet and we have met by Ruby and Kuriboh the first time ... ", Juudai said, " to me it is like it has happened yesterday."

"It was... kinda..", Johan said with a shrug. The crowd in front of them started to get into movement and they interrupted the conversation until they were inside and found some good places to sit down and have a good look to the duel area. Not long after they have taken place, Rei, Jun, Asuka and Fubuki also came and sit down next to them. "What you mean, how strong the new students probably are?", Asuka asked into the round.

"well, I am sure that not many of them will make into Obelisk Blue."

"That's clear anyway. I am excited what decks they will use for playing."

"Pst, there the new pupils are coming!" The tense mumble in the hall ceased with the appearing of the new students suddenly, who all had a nervous facial expression, because they didn't know what was still to come for them or either because they don't like to duel in front of such a large audience. Under them were young people with a different appearance but it was a girl whom Juudai immediately noticed.

She had long platinum blonde hair which reached her feet. She had a graceful and supple walk and her eyes glittered deep blue. She wore a uniform but still not the typical uniform which there was at the academy. She should anyway replace the one which she carried later through one of the school.

He didn't know why he, however, thought that he would have seen the girl sometime before. It then fell for him like shack from the eyes. Wasn't this the girl of whom he had dreamt of tonight? What does it mean that she suddenly is at the academy?? Did it have what to mean that, suddenly, she was here at the academy?

"Johan", he whispered and nudged him, "the girl there, do you see her? What do you think of her?"

"Of this one?", he asked back, "well, she looks kinda cute. Let's see how she plays."

"oh, so Juudai has already looked out for a girlfriend under the newcomers? ", Fubuki wanted to know.

"No, he cannot do that, he knows that he is all mine!", Rei gave him back as an answer. Ha, don't let Yubel hear this Juudai thought and could almost imagine how Rei and Yubel fight for him. He shook the thought off and saw again to the girl who turned her head over meanwhile and looked to Juudai. When their looks met, it was as if a spear of ice had goen through Juudai. Something about this girl was strange. She only smiled, however, and averted the look from him again.

The headmaster of the school then entered the stage after all new pupils had carefully joined behind him. Samejima took the microphone into his hand and spoke his opening speech now.

"To all of you who have assembled here. Welcome back at the duel academy, my dear pupils. I am glad and happy to see that all of you are well and I hope that you will spend a wonderful new school year here at this academy. We had to fight with all possible incidents in the past, all the more I hope that this year will be more quiet to some extent. And like every new year at every school in the world, new pupils come to the academy today so, too. I hope that you will welcome all of them and will help them to make the stony way of a duelist a little more tolerable somehow. Because like in every honorable sports it is teamwork and the experience to have got through something together which lets us grow together. Now, as it corresponds to our tradition, we start with the first official duels this year. At the same time with these duels, the statuses of the new students will be fixed and it will be decided into which house they will come. Don't worry", he then adressed to the new students, " Enjoy the duels. And welcome at the duel academy!!"

A whispering and applause went through the crowd after the headmaster had finished his speech. Everyone saw names and picture of the corresponding persons who should fight on the monitors over the stage at which the fight matings were announced for ordinary. Right at the beginning the name and the picture of the girl appeared there whom Juudai had recognized. So she was called "Siraj Nikoume". A very unusual name. She had to fight against a boy named "Shiro Kuza", a dark-haired in a bright T shirt and long unite trousers. The fighting spirit flashed in his green eyes, when he started his duel disk for the fight and Siraj was more than loose concerned to the whole thing and seemed to primarily base grace at her appearance.

Siraj played a new kind of deck, of which not much has been heard of yet, the so called "Light Sworns" while Shiros tactics were rather based on a darkness deck. So a thrilling fight light against darkness.

Several fights were parallel going on so that one could divide up faster the enormous number of newly come students. After the official inauguration duels were past, the headmaster came onto the stage once more to make another announcement. "Now since all thrilling duels are past, I still would like to make a last announcement before we come to the lesson shortened today. I am pleased to welcome a new teacher at this school, Mr Koouzima!"

At these words a sir entered the stage in a long white cape, he had deep blue hair and ice blue eyes. Humbly he bowed to the audience, while Samejima continued. "He is the new teacher for duel art at this academy. Welcome him with the due respect and I wish you a pleasant cooperation with our students ."

Mr Koouzima seized the mike and spoke in a quite unusual melodious voice: "I am personally very, pleased to be allowed to work here on this academy and also on the numerous pupils whom I will see in my courses. I hope we will have a good time together."

Juudai and the others went through the walks of the school building later to get to their first lesson in this new school year and they exchanged their impressions actively over the newcomers just like over her new teacher. "so, I think that the new teacher at least doesn't look bad!",Rei admitted, " I find him really sweet!"

"well, hopefully we get something right taught", Asuka said.

"What do you think of the duels of the newcomers?", Johan asked, "I personally didn't find that Shiro too bad."

Juudai had been lost in thought deeply and hardly listened, as he suddenly bumped into somebody and was suddenly pushed back to the ground.

"hey, you cannot pay attention?", asked him a female voice. He saw on and into the face of Siraj Nikoume. Johan and his friends immediately rushed at Juudai and Johan helped him gently to come onto the legs again. Juudai though had only eyes for the girl who patiently waited. "Hey, you are this Siraj, right?", he said.

"Yes", she replied, "and you are Juudai Yuki. I have heard alot from you. But even more of the famous Johan Anderson and his crystals beasts." She bowed gracefully to the two duelists, while Juudai looked touched and Johan simply grinned.

"Nice to make your acquaintance", he said and extended a hand for the girl to shake and she gratefully accepted.

"I am also pleased. I am Siraj Nikoume."

"I know, we watched your duel. It was really exciting.", Johan said, "i didn't know that the Lightsworns are already played by someone."

"Well, now you now they are and even from whom they are played!", Siraj laughed.

The other ones introduced themselves now. "I am Asuka, this is Jun, there is Rei and there are Sho and Kenzan."

"I am happy to meet you all." She bowed to them again.

"But, tell me Soraj, why aren't you going to the lesson?", Juudai asked her.

"Idiot, she first has to see which courses she has", Asuka said, "don't you remember how it was like in your first school year? First she has to learn into which house she comes, and then she has to move in. She is anyway free for today to establish into her house anyway."

"oh man, I also want to have free."

"Now don't complain, this day won't be so bad!", Johan said optimistically and put a hand on his shoulder. "After all, we met somebody of the new students!" He then adressed to Siraj. "If you like, you can spend the rest of the day with us, we have anyway abbreviated lessons today therefore we could show you the school area and help you at the move "

"This is a really wonderful idea!", Rei cheered. "

We take part, soldier! Good suggestion!", said Kenzan and nodded agreing.

Siraj smiled happily albeit shy because it was already unusual for her to have found new friends so fast. She nevertheless nodded. "Therefore, well, I spend the day with you! "

"This is beautiful and well, we only come too late now! Hurry!", Asuka pressed them and threw into the classroom. Dr. Chronos turned round furiously to them.

"You are too late again and this on your first day!", he hung on.

Later, Johan led all of them around the school area and Siraj was told the one or other anecdote which they connected with this or that place. There was the deserted accommodation about which Fubuki and Asuka knew how to tell something about or the canteen which was of course Juudais special subject or the excavations place about which Kenzan knew at the best notification there. But unfortunately Siraj had to stop another prolongation of the tour: "I am sorry, but I have am important meeting for all newcomers, that I may miss in no case because only then I get to know the results and into which house I got!"

"Yes, then go You find the way to the meeting room, right? Or shall I accompany you?"

"Thanks, Asuka.", Siraj said calmed down, and Asuka said goodbye to the others: "I come back later, ok?" With that she left with Siraj. The other friends started to wonder what to begin with the evening.

"Do you plan something for today?"

"This not, but shouldn't be this newcomer party the day after tomorrow anyway? The opening ball...", Kenzan remembered.

"Oh yes... shit, I need to find something elegant to wear on this party.", Fubuki said, "but apart from that I still haven't planned out anything for tonight yet, no."

Johan didn't hesitate for a long time and asked Juudai, though: "What do you think of this, if we meet tonight and speak each other? About everything and hiding nothing? Not even what happened in the dark world. I don't want to be silent about this any longer..."

But Juudai himself didn't seem to be pleased by this suggestion. "I dunno, Johan. I have nothing against it if we all meet tonight, but I am not sure if I already can talk about this."

"Don't be worried, Aniki!", Sho said, "we can talk also about other things if you want to!"

"Sho is right, Juudai. so, what do you say?"

"Okay", he finally agreed, "I just cannot refuse anything you ask me for, Johan!" Juudai laughed and looked to the sky. How should all this become clear? What should he tell his friends and what should he keep as a secret between him and Yubel? Oh yes Yubel ... he should perhaps look how she is doing. "Please forgive me, but I still have to settle a thing. We see each other at the Slifers tonight, ok?"

"Yes, til then!" He still waved to them briefly, as he then ran in the direction of the canteen.

"Yubel ... yes, there you are!", Juudai meant happily, when he finally found her behind the house of Slifer Red as she was just sanbathing a little bit.

"Hello Juudai!", she cheered happily, " I am so glad to see you again!"

"ah, i haven't been gone for too long.", he said with a shrug. "Yes, but for me... it was like an eternity..." Juudai got red at her words.

"Listen, Yubel..." he said when he let glide down a bag from his shoulder. "I have noticed that I havent offered you anything to eat, so you must be really hungry, right? Therefore I brought you something out of the canteen." Out of the bag he suddenly fetched rolls wrapped in aluminum foil. "Try this one!", he said with a sweet smile and pushed one of these in Yubels hand. She looked astonishedly at the roll, then at Juudai and then again at the roll. As much as it stirred her, there however was a small problem. How does she explain that?

"Ehm.. Juudai, you know what? I think I have to tell you something."

"Yes, just do it", he answered and sat down next to Yubel, "but first eat."

"Ok", she said, unwrapped the roll and took a mouthful. It tasted quite good, better than expected.

"What do you wanted to tell me?", Juudai asked her while she remained so silent.

"Ah, only that I don't need to eat anything and I nevertheless don't starve. I am not a human being, Juudai. I cannot live on what you people take it, your meals doesn't nourish me. I need darkness, only through it I am able to live."

"Darkness? Is the darkness you see at night enough for you?"

"Yes, but the purer the darkness the better for me. If the moon shines, or the stars, then it is darkness polluted with light and this doesn't nourish me as much as lightfree darkness."

"Ah, so that's why you collected the darkness of the human's hearts."

"Yes", she nodded. Yubel stopped briefly and looked at Juudai who has gotten a thoughtful face. "What is the matter, Juudai? You look ., so worried "

"Yubel, I need to talk with you about something important. I honestly don't know how to go on." He sighed briefly and stopped before he continued: I dunno if I should tell them." The hermaphrodite needed a while until she understood what he was talking about.

"You certainly mean your friends, right? well, if you think it is right, you ought to tell them. Tell them that the light of destruction is here and that they have to watch out. If you think this will protect them better, then you must tell it to them!"

"But I can't!", Juudai shouted and suddenly stood on his legs; Yubel winced. "I don't want to load them with this already, especially not at all so shortly after we haven't processed all what had happened in the dark world yet. I anyway see how much they want to forget, everything what happened there. I also wish I could forget...", he mumbled lost in thought.

"And I am to blame ... ", Yubel whispered gloomily, as Juudai turned round to her and saw that she looked at the ground, suffering. "Say to me, Juudai, tell me, will you ever forgive me for that? Will your friends be able to forgive me? Will Sho do that, who has seen me?"

"I don't know." He didn't know, he really didn't. And already not at all, whether Yubel could ever show herself to his friends. "They want to come here tonight and all of us simply want to talk", said Juudai.

"Then I wish you much fun.", Yubel said hurt and turned away. The brown-haired boy wanted to hold her tight but she had already risen into the air with her powerful wings.

He still called for her: "Wait Yubel !! Stay!" But she had disappeared into the direction of the forrest and left a taken aback Juudai behind. He looked on his hand which he had just extended towards Yubel. As much as the experiences of the dark world had crushed him and as much as he knowledge that he will be soon have to oppose the light threatens him, so he hadn't honetsly thought up til now, how Yubel might feel with all that. She has to suffer under all that she experiences too, right? But primarily the knowledge that she cannot be forgiven that easily must hurt her infinitely. Juudai knew exactly that the soul fusion and the following separation from Juudai's soul also had to have added pain to her. How disappointed she must have been when she was forced to seperate her soul from Juudai's? It meant for her to give up her life's dream for a misson which has to be fulfilled only with difficulty. It meant for her to give up her place at Juudai's side and to expose herself to the danger to lose him once again.

"Yubel", Juudai whispered softly, "I know how you must feel. We had our very souls united, how can you think then that I don't know at all how you feel?"


	6. The wish to be forgiven

Chapter 5-: The wish to be forgiven-

Juudai came completely thoughtful and stirred up up the stairs to his room at Slifer Red, when Sho surprised him at the end of the stairs.

"Aniki, where were you?"

"Sho! I.."

"What is going on?"

They both looked into each others eyes and then Sho realized what must have happened. "You have been with Yubel, right?" Juudai was surprised and suddenly it struck him that Sho knew that Yubvel was there. Thus he admitted immediatly: "Yes, it's true."

"And?", the little-blue haired boy asked: "What has happened?"

"I..." But Juudai broke off the word. What should he say? With the thoughts he was far gone in the distant future he was so afraid of.

"Aniki" Sho went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "First come in. Then we talk. You know that you can tell me everything." Sho's shining eyes, when he looked at his brother somehow comforted Juudai and he had to smile. Sho dragged his big brother gently into their common room, pushed Juudai gently on the bed and sat down on an available chair. "So, are you telling me now what is going on?", he asked with a grin.

"Hm, ok", Juudai meant and started to tell him: "You know that Yubel is here because she has accompanied me home... well I can tell you that she is rather furious at me..."

"But why?"

"Hm, that is difficult to explain... Sho, I need to ask you something." Juudai hesitated because the following question that he wanted to ask his little brother was not that easy, because to ask this was what he has feared the most all the time. "Sho ... how do you think about that Yubel is also here? Is it hard for you to know that?"

"Hm," Sho thought it over briefly, then he said: "I don't know. But if you had been able to forgive her, just as you told me and if you understand each other rather well again, then I don't understand why she hasn't shown up already. If you regard it as right, Aniki, then I regard it as right, too. If you are able to forgive her, then I am it, too. And all of us are finally here, right? Now we sit here even though all these terrible things happened. So we will be able to forgive her... probably we only need some more... time... to do it." Juudai looked at Sho, surprised. He had expected an answer from him, but what he had gotten to listen to right now was not what he had expected and it was a positive surprise. But his joy got a muffler when he thought of Johan. Would he be capable to forgive Yubel? She had done the most to him.

"Is that why you have argued?", Sho suddenly asked.

The brown-haired one gave a start and immediately admitted: "Yes...Yubel is terribly sorry for what she has done but she is sure that she cannot be forgiven. And there is something else, a problem that we have to deal with..."

"And that would be?"

"That I cannot tell you...not now..."

"I understand... but if you talk to Yubel the next time, then tell her that I at least have nothing against it if she wants to come over here for a visit."

The little blue-haired stood up, got cookies from the kitchen and offered Juudai some of them and he gratefully took one out from the can. "Aniki, I am worried about you... you are so different since you came back, so much more thoughtful and more withdrawn. Something must burden you very much. Better leave this out, before it burdens you too much, really..."

"When do the others come?"

"Oh, in a few minutes. But until then..."

Juudai stood up and looked through the window in the hope to find Yubel in the darkness of the night. But he was bitterly disappointed. He didn't know why, but he wanted to have her in his proximity, now in this moment, to let her know that at least one of his friends was ready to forgive her. Maybe that would cheer her up a little. He really didn't want to sound at all so as if he still would blame her for everything, it had been a mistake. He had the need to be taken into the arm suddenly.

And he suddenly felt an embrace from behind. It felt so warm and when he turned round, he found himself in the arms of Johan who now smiled contentedly.

"Hello, Juu!", he grinned, "You looks so sad, what is with you?"

"I just was at finding that out", Sho said casually, "but I wasn't very successful."

Juudai felt that it ran hot and cold down his back. The touch of Johan made him shiver and he didn't know why exactly and also not why he suddenly wanted him to never let him off again. He suddenly put his arms round Johan and saw, how his Kuriboh and Ruby conententedly looked into each other's eyes and smiled. "well, let's see if I am more successful", Johan laughed, looked into Juudai's eyes and smiled even more. "You will tell me everything, right?" Juudai smiled back.

"Who knows?" he said happily. "I think we gotta play a duel again finally, I had not the slightest opportunity till now yet to play with my rainbow dragon against you."

"Right since you have gotten him you hadn't you used him in a duel against me."

"Yes, but who wonders that we haven't been able to play against each other if we had been seperated from each other for so long, even through different dimensions."

Johan solved his embrace from Juudai and his facial expression got very serious. "Juudai, you haven't told us yet what has happened with Yubel."

"We would like to know that as well!", a few other voices said when Asuka, Rei, Kenzan, Jun and Fubuki got in.

"Wow, people, it is so good to see you all!"

When Juudai greeted them all he noticed that someone else also had come, an intimidated girl, Siraj. She looked around nervously as if everything would make her feel uncomfortable and she first hadn't wanted to come here at all. Juudai welcomed her first by holding out his hand to her.

"Welcome to the house of Slifer Red!" She looked at him surprised and then took and shook his hand anyway.

"Thanks so much, Juudai. And sorry if I am so nervous..."

"It is ok, Siraj. Just feel like at home!"

"I will try it."

He showed her the room where everyone else already took as seat. Sho stood up and turned on a little bit of music, while the others were unpacking nibbling pastries, simple everything that one could need for a party or a funny get-together. "so, now that everybody is ready for take-off..."

"So, Juudai, will you finally answer this question? What happened with Yubel? And where have you been?" "Well, this is a long story... I dunno where to start..."

"Just start of where we haven't been able to catch up. From the moment on where we all disappeared."

"And you know what happened to Jim and O'Brien or that I have been the Supreme King?"

"Yes", Sho said, but the others denied this by shaking their heads.

"So, I can start from there on, right?", Juudai asked.

But Siraj only looked at him with an uncomprehending look at because she couldn't understand about what all of them talked actually because she hasn't seen it all either.

"Can you tell me what the hell you are speaking off?"

Rei cleared her up: "Simply accept it as a kind of story. All of us have experienced an adventure and not got everything to this day. And our Juudai here know how it goes on and we dunno, so he tries to tell us everything."

"And what the hell is the Supreme King then? And what ís a Yubel?"

"Not a Yubel, Yubel!", Juudai corrected her, "it is a person."

"Oh", Siraj made and decided to first listen. And so Juudai started to tell. His story of sorrow and fault. But he hasn't become entangled in this fault alone, but also Johan and all his friends. The enemy in this story was a hermaphrodite named Yubel which was still more than a human because she was somehow both human as well as a dragon and a demoness. Everyone listened tensely, as he slowed down when the story nearly reached its end.

"And then just when I was going to win, I saw her memories suddenly from former times. And ..."

"What and? Tell us more!!"

Juudai broke off, he didn't know if he wanted to give away something more personal, but wouldn't the power of the words help him to paraphrase everything?

"I remembered the times which I have spent with her and her memories turned more than clear that she only has done everything out of love for me. She had wanted to be with me again and to see me happy, but thought due to her time in space, that I can only be happy when I suffer, because she also had been happy when she suffered there."

"Ha!", Johan made, "I knew that she is more than ill!"

"No", Juudai said, "I am to blame in the first place, because I have sent her away, right? Just as I am to blame that I have done something like that to you."

"No, don't make any reproaches to yourself, Juudai!", Johan said, "It wasn't you who had done that to us, but Yubel!"

It made Juudai annoyed that Johan didn't want to see that in fact all was his fault in the first place, and not the fault of the hermaphrodite.

"Doesn't matter who is to blame, but what has happened to Yubel?"

"Well...she...she...she is still alive and... . lives now happily and contentedly in the other dimension. "

Everyone looked up surprised and horrified.

Asuka cleared her throat and said: "Juudai, well don't try to sell us for stupid, let the jokes and say the truth finally!I"

"No, really, I dunno where she is, but I know that I let her alive."

"Tja, there we see this again, you simply are too gentle!", Jun said, "If I would have gotten her into my hands, I wouldn't have been so mercyful."

"But.. if she is still alive that would mean that she still could appear here at any time and cause trouble again!", Rei whispered horrifiedly.

"Wait!! One Moment!", Siraj replied, "you all told me that this all is just a story!"

"Yes", Johan grinned, "a story based on real events!"

Siraj looked horrified at everyone but then however maliciously: "All of you are ill anyway! Right, another dimension! Of course, shut away in other worlds! All of you belong into the smacks!"

Juudai stared at her, just like all the others, but then Asuka said: "Yes, for you it might sounds like that, but for all of us it is bitter reality. All of this has happened recently, and we still have to struggle with it."

"There, you have many more things to struggle with!", Siraj meant quietly and then stood up. " I see this all have been a waste of time to come here. Instead I could have prepared for the next schoolday tomorrow. But I have to admit nevertheless that I had pretty much. Juudai, you can tell great stories, but please... you should stop to think of them as being real. And more important to make your friends think the same."

She took her jacket of the stand and wanted to go out in the darkness of the night with that when Rei held her back with the question: "Into which house have you came actually?"

Siraj turned round: "I am in Obelisk Blue!"

Johan let hear a whistle: "wow, Obelisk Blue, not bad!"

The girl turned red: "Thanks much."

"Stay a little bit longer!", Rei begged her.

"No, really, I gotta go, I still have to take care of something very important. Who knows, maybe we will be doing some funny evening like that again soon? But, only promise me til then that you don't believe your stories are real. You risk your emotional health."

With that she made a last polite bow ahead of everyone and then went out through the door.

"wow finally somebody who says what I have always thought!", Jun meant," I have always regarded you as shifted, too!"

"oh, don't forget, that you also belong to our crazy heap here!",Asuka said, " but Siraj is not wrong, everything sounds outrageous for somebody who hasn't seen all this himself. I probably wouldn't if I have been in her place."

"And I simply wish that all of this has never happened!", Juudai said bitterly, "now I see more clearly that my life is exceptional."

"Not only your life", Johan said.

Yubel breathed in deeply and went lost in thought through the woods of the island. She didn't know how to go on. She couldn't be with Juudai all the time to protect him and that alone irritated her already. What did she really want? To be forgiven for her sins, maybe that was what she wanted the most. So that she could be with Juudai, unmolested, and that she hadn't to feel bad.

Although, wasn't it simply ridicilous how she thought? After all, if she wanted to be with him, she simply should go back and stroll by the door to his room, this was her good right! Especially if the light of destruction is after Juudai, because then she must do what is possible so that her lover is safe.

Yubel looked up. She was on the edge of the island and a cliff went steeply into the sea. She went slowly out to the edge of the clearing when she suddenly saw a strange shining. A light shone quite bright behind the trees there. Her eyes narrowed. Wasn't it the light of the destruction?

She carefully got nearer but the light faded fast and disappeared into emptiness and as she looked exactly she found nothing. This worried Yubel but as long as this light didn't come into the proximity of Juudai, everything was good. She decided to go back to Slifer Red immediatly. She didn't notice how a person in the tree looked down at her, with a faint smile on the face. "Yubel, the sad dragon, I finally have found you", the person whispered softly.

"Juudai wait!" Johan ran behind Juudai who wanted to out for a walk into the darkness of the night. "I think you shouldn't go alone through the night ", the turquoise haired boy thought, "the thought doesn't please me, what would be if Yubel suddenly appears and does something to you?"

"Johan, you really don't need to worry here, really! Everything is fine!"

"No, nothing's fine! What shall this? You should take care of yourself in a better way, especially now that we know that Yubel is still alive!"

Juudai turned round jerkily to Johan: "Stop now! Yubel is alive, yes, but she would never want to harm me! We have cleared everything between us!"

"Are you sure, Juudai?"

The brown haired boy wheezed. "Yes, quite sure. I don't need to be afraid of her any longer."

Johan nodded silently, continued, however, after a break: "And why seem you to be so under pressure then? Don't deny, Juudai. Something is going on and you simply don't want to tell it to me. Even though you know exactly that you can entrust everything to me."

" Johan... yeah, I know it, and I am not telling it to you because I cannot trust you or something. I... lets just say you know that you have to pay attention infernally in the near future, because then something bad could happen. You don't want anything bad to happen to your friends, so you don't have any other choice but to maintain the secret for you."

But Juudai shrank back when he noticed that he has given away too much already, because Johan looked at him in a frightened and worried way.

"What do you know what we may not know? Juudai, will something happen? Has a new enemy appeared? If so, then we have to fight against him together! Juudai, you know that I will always stay by your side. Just as all your other friends will. We all will stand by you!"

"No! You cannot stand by me in this case. It is something that only I can do. I also don't want to get you into danger. Please, keep out of it, it is to your best. I couldn't bear it if something like in the dark world happens to you again. That you are hurt and used just because you are close to me. Especially you."

"And this enemy is not Yubel?"

"no."

"Then I wonder where she is if she has sworn you eternal love", Johan meant contemptuously and looked after her, playing around. "That is if she already is here."

Juudai looked away, still worried and sad.

But Johan cheered him up: "But thank you for having told it to me at least a little. Also I will keep my eyes open in the future and if I see something suspicious, I will tell it to you, ok? so, but now I have to go back to Obelisk Blue. We see each other again in class tomorrow, right? And now go back to Sho. Don't stand here in the darkness for too long." Johan waved to him and ran into the direction of Obelisk Blue.

Yubel just saw how Johan had gone away when she came towards Juudai out of the undergrowth. He turned round to her and noticed her. Yubel only was silent when she looked at Juudai but then she asked quietly in her female voice: "That was Johan, right?"

Juudai nodded: "Yes, that was him."

"And about what have you talked?"

The brown-haired was silent and Yubel interpreted this silence wrongly.

"Of course about your feelings for each other, right?" She then looked away and turned for going," I better don't disturb you."

Juudai held her tight, however, at the arm and prevented her so from going away. "Wait, Yubel !! About what to the devil are you talking?"

"Oh Juudai, there you have already understood me correctly. Do you want to sell me for stupid? I know that you both feel something for each other!" Her look was annoyed and raging first and got then sad, however. "Well, I cannot prevent you to come together with him if you really want to."

"Yubel, no!! Wait, please listen up to me!!", Juudai desperately pleaded but Yubel tried to come loose of his handle.

"Let me go!"

"No, Yubel!", Juudai yelled out and threw himself into the arms of the amazed Yubel, " I have looked for you because I was worried and I won't let you go away right now!"

"Juudai, oh Juudai..." Yubel made and put her arms around Juudai to press him even more against her. The boy allowed it silently and pressed even more against her to be nearer to her.

He didn't know why, but a to feel her warmth caused a warm feeling within him, the same feeling that he had felt when Johan was in his proximity and embraced him. What was that for a feeling? He rembered of having felt something like this already, but when and why had this been?

Yubel sighed on and let off of him again but Juudai all at once felt the need to stay in her arms still longer. "You should return into your house, Juudai ", Yubel only thought, " it is late and you should go to sleep."

"no, not yet. Not before I have told you something very important. You namely can spend the night with us. I have talked to Sho, and he had said that you can come."

That really astonished the hermaphrodite. "And he is really alright with that? I mean, I won't disturb him?" "No, and besides I would feel alot better if I know that you can stay with us and don't have to sleep in the cold night outside." Yubel saw that it could be a good idea because she then can protect him better therefore she decided to accept Juudais suggestion.

It knocked at the door to their room and Sho looked up of his exercise book to shout

"Come in!"

When the door opened, Juudai, came in, however another person stood there behind him. Sho's eyes widened when he saw a little intimidated looking Yubel which humbly went through the door by Juudai's side.

Juudai smiled broadly and only said: "so, Sho. I have brought her, like you have said. She will spend the night here."

Sho couldn't do anything different but to look still more perplexed when he heard Juudais words. He had actually done it and taken his suggestion so seriously so that he had immediately realized it?

Yubel looked at the little boy with the blue hair, then made a bow in front of him and said quietly: "I thank you that you permit to spend the night here with Juudai. This means very much to me. Particularly because I know that I have done so much bad to you and your friends. I also am sorry for what has happened to your brother. I hope you can forgive me but I also know that it is not easy and that it won't go so fast."

Sho looked alternately on the grinning Juudai and the shy Yubel and the sight seemed unreal to him. He then got up of the bed and approached Yubel to shake hands with her. The hermaphrodite looked up and accepted his hand. Sho smiled.

"Welcome, Yubel. I am Sho if you don't already know it at all. I don't mind if you want to spend the night here but you are right with what you have already said: I cannot forgive you that fast for what you have done, but if you are ready to wait a little bit longer, then maybe it could be so far one day."

Yubel also smiled. "I cannot thank you enough for your grace, Sho", she said happily.

Juudai looked at the whole scene silently and couldn't do anything different but to feel happy at this moment. His best friend and his soul partner made friends. It completely looked like a new beginning for everyone.


	7. The rainbow which encounters the light

Chapter 7: The rainbow which encounters the light

It already got slowly dark and Juudai and Sho already strode slowly to the accommodation of Ra Yellow which came into view already soon. Disguised by the bushes and undergrowth which fortunately was available on her way was also Yubel which always had an eye on particularly Juudai but had started to worry also about Sho strangely enough. She stopped when also Juudai and Sho stopped.

"Juudai ..." Sho asked, "about what have you argued with Yubel right now?"

But Juudai simply ignored his question by asking a new one on his part: "Where did Kenzan want to meet us?"

"Am, here in front in front of the entrance to his accommodation."

Juudai nodded and just when he did it, someone already found them and Kenzan ran over them.

"Good evening, Aniki! I am happy to see you both here, and thanks for being ready to help us!"

"Is Rei also here already?"

"Of course, she and I have carried out the main planning of the celebration. This means we also must organize most."

"Where exactly have you planned the party, then? You haven't decided to do it here or in one of the other dorms, right?", Juudai asked.

"No, they aren't big enough for this and we have hundreds of new students here which want on the party, inclusive of the older years which also will come. We will have to hold the party in the big lecture room. I must therefore ask you to go with me there. And please help me to carry, we have tons of material that we have to bring there. Follow me!"

And Kenzan took some steps forward, towards the yellow dorm, and he led them into some kind of storeroom, which was full with boxes everywhere. Sho wasn't badly astonished while Juudai was nodding only willingly.

"And we shall bring all this to there?!", Sho asked doubtingly.

"Yes", Kenzan grinned, " but no worry I help you and we still have been able to organize some other helpers therefore this will be very fast possible." At these words some further pupils still strode into the room and took the next boxes along with themselves.

"We at least don't have to make the job by ourselves completly ", Juudai nodded, " and with so much help we will be done pretty soon, there you are right, Kenzan." Sho went there and took one box, but it was a bit too heavy for him, so he nearly dropped it.

"Uh, what is actually in the boxes inside, then?"

"What one just needs for a greater party. well, decoration, table, chairs, everything!",Kenzan thought with a shrug, " but only don't plead tiredness as an excuse, soldiers! To the work!" And he also took a box with that and made progress with a good example.

"As one must leave for him, Kenzan really has developed into a real leadership personality ...", the small blue-haired boy said astonishedly, and admiring.

"Yes, I have always already believed him capable of it. But Sho, if this box is too heavy for you, then give it to me and you take a smaller one, ok?" "Good."

The hall in which the party should take place was already about and about of boxes, and students which ran to and fro between them, who built up tables and chairs and checked lists and inventory. When Juudai and Sho entered the hall, they could immediately find their friends in the apparent mess. Rei just gave some other students instructions, what has to be done next, and even Siraj was present, and just hung the garlands on the blanket of the reverberations. Johan just decorated one of the built up tables, but when he found Juudai he finished the decoration and went straight to him.

"Hello Juudai, good to see you. So, Kenzan asked you too?"

"Yes", Juudai replied, "and as I can see he also asked all the others."

"Of course, I am helping a firned when I am asked to and I knew that would also come can never either let down your friends."

Juudai would go a little bit red at the comment of Johan, even though he didn't know why he didn't want to hear that from Johan right now. Or was it embarrassing for him that he almost had given everything up for Johan and that he for a short time was even more important to him than his other friends?

This thought caused him to go even redder, but Johan didn't seem to notice that because he still had the same smile on his face, unchanged. Juudai shook the head, then caught himself again and asked: "And have you already chosen an outfit for you for tomorrow?"

"Oh,not yet, but I have to take a look into my cupboard to see."

"I so have bought a special dress for this opportunity", admitted Siraj which was besides them suddenly, holding the next garlands in her hands.

"I also!",Rei thought, as she joyfully hopped to Juudai. "And you?"she asked him obtrusively curiously and looked him into his retreated, surprised by her sudden appeareance and also because he was afraid that she simply would jump at him at the next moment. He scratched himself nervously at the back of the head.

"I don't know ... I probably simply will wear my school uniform."

"No, this isn't possible! You must certainly look as good as possible!",Fubuki thought, who suddenly was there and put the next box down, too. "If it is because you have too few things, then you can come with me later and borrow from me what might suit you for the evening a little."

"anyway.. no, Fubuki, this isn't really necessary!"

"ahem ... if you say so...but you could really try it out", he said with a shrug.

"But how I see you are progressing really well with the preparation for the party, you don't seem to make a bad job!", Juudai praised Rei who blushed when she heard that praise. "I do what I can do!", she exclaimed optimistically and a sweet smile to Juudai again.

The preparation was already almost completed, and most of the students who had helped already turned for going and Kenzan as well as Rei thanked them for the active support. Almost everyone had gone at the end, Juudais friends were the only left at the end to judge the last things and lay out hand.

"So, I think we are finished for today definitely!", Rei meant as she stroked her hair out of her face. "We can close here for today. Tomorrow, I then hope to see you here primarily you Juudai-sama!"

"Well, I then wish you good night!", Siraj called. Kenzan waved out of all of them from the hall and carefully locked the door behind them. When Juudai, Sho and Johan strode out, Johan tipped Juuai the shoulder briefly. "Can I talk with you, Juudai, briefly?"

"Yes, of course ", Juudai said astonished and stopped, " about what is it, then?"

"Would it be possible if I could talk alone with him, Sho?",Johan addressed the blue haired little boy.

"Sure", he answered, " we then see each other again, ok, Aniki, in the red accommodation?" Juudai only nodded and turned to Johan who now took Juudai by the hand and drew him away with himself, into the darkness of the night and into the proximity of the close trees. Juudai was surprised at what Johan planned, then and he could virtually feel the critical look of Yubel behind himself simultaneously since he knew exactly that she had waited for him in the cold here outside all the time and watched him certainly secretly at exactly this moment. To be so alone with Johan outside, made him damn nervous, especially if Yubel was heretoo. Because, if Johan really wanted to do what he suspected him to do, then Juudai would have to calm down a very furious dragon soon.

And Johan closed Juudai into his arms. The brown-haired one looked taken aback when he found himself again in Johans arms suddenly.

"Juudai, I must confess something to you", Johan began when he had held the quiet boy in his arms for some while.

"What is it, then?"

"Juudai, I ... I have missed you so infinitely in the time in which you have been away, and I had when you arrived back suddenly, no opportunity to speak with you alone, to tell you how I really feel."

Juudai got away from the embrace of Johan after that and looked into the green eyes of the Norwegian astonishedly. "What do you want to tell me with that?"

But Johan avoided a direct visual contact, looked at the ground instead while his cheeks easily blushed, the hair fell into his face and he was silent until he found the strength to talk further. "I hadn't had any opportunity to tell you till now how much it meant to me that you have saved me from the talons of Yubel. In addition, while you were gone, I have heard of the others that you would have done everything for me to be found again. They have told me that you were more then determined to find me back again and that you had been sad and dejected when you had to leave me back after the fight against Yubel back in the other dimension." Johan was silent now a while and it rattled in Juudais head. What did he want to say by that? Juudai blushed when he slowly began to understad what he wanted to tell him. Therefore, he has also noticed it? Has he noticed that they were congenial from the very beginning, from their frist meeting on?

"Johan ... I still don't understand ...", he thought unsafely.

"Juudai ... I am not sure myself anyway ... but I seem to feel more for you then only bare friendship."

When Juudai heard this, his eyes stretched themselves with fright. So ... Johan really thought what he had only suspected. But straight thousands thoughts buzzed in a mess in Juudai. The question why it was so important for him to save Johan was only one of them. Yes, why, why it was so important to him anyway? Even that much that it was no matter what would happen to his other friends, what would become of those who have decided to go with him and stand by his side.

"Johan..", Juudai whispered when he found the courage to speak on, "I think I know what you mean. That we have got on from the beginning so well. That we were congenial from the beginning .... And I think ... that you should know that I also think the same like you."

Johan saw on and in the eyes of Juudai. "You think..."

"Yes", Juudai then turned away from him. "But no matter whatever we may feel, I ask you to pay attention nevertheless. As I have said to you before, I don't want that something happens to you only because you are close to me, you remember?"

"But why are you holding back then? It almost seems as if you would supress your feelings."

"Do I really do this? If so, then only because I am worried, as well as you are worrying about me, which is why you cannot put it into words, right?" Johans fingers touched only timidly his own lips at this remark of Juudai.

"Maybe", he answered while he was nodding. "Any plans for the ball?", the Norwegian then asked to change the topic and grin joyfully again what he always liked to do.

"What do you mean with that?"

"Well, if you already have invited a girl to the party?"

"No, I think that I go there all by myself, and I am sure that I will meet you and the others there anyway, so why should I invite a girl to the party?"

"Ah, I thought that you might invite Asuka to go to the party with you. I nearly think that she wants something from you." Juudai was quite surprised at these words, had to grin to himself, when he also noticed something: "Haha, and I thought that you could invite Siraj, on my opinion she shows some interest in you."

Johan stretched his arms in the height and looked up. "Do you think? Till now, I don't have noticed this."

Juudai had to laugh quite a lot. "Hahah, well, we will see each other tomorrow in the lesson again, right? And if not there, then we will meet at the party again."

"When exactly will you go there?"

"I want to be there as early as possible. well, I wish you a good night!", Juudai waved to Johan when he left him.

The turquoise-haired looked up for him when Juudai disappeared and he sighed. He stayed longer for another while and expected to see nothing exciting when a shine appeared and disappeared again suddenly behind the trees in his proximity.

He first thought it would have been somebody with a flashlight who had gone astray, maybe one of the newcomers, who wants to find his way back to the accomodation. In the hope to be able to help the one who had gone astray, he decided to look after it, and went behind the trees but then he clung almost imploringly to the bark of the tree behind which he could just hide. He couldn't believe what he saw there.

A humanoid stood there, a light creature, surrounded by a weak light, without any real face. Whatever it was, it seemed to consist of fluent light, had no mouth, no eyes, no expression. It seemed to be looking around for something though, as if it was unsure if it was at the right place. Uncertain whether it had the ability to speak, Johan could hear weak words whispering when the nature spoke to itself.

"Where am I here? Yes ... I am sure ... this must be the place, where he is ... my chosen one ... now I just have to do what is needed to find him... but everything will be well and my plan is already in full walk...." The luminous figure stopped when he remarked that he was not quite alone. He slowly turned his head in the direction of the tree behind which the Norwegian stood primarily in the knowledge that it was this creature of whom Juudai was prhaps so afraid of and in front of which he had warned him behind which he had still more crouched down together.

He slowly turned his head in the direction of the tree behind which the Norwegian stood crouched down together primarily in the knowledge that it was this creature of whom Juudai was perhaps so afraid of and in front of which he had warned him. He squinted his eyes and took a fetus position, why he did this he himself didn't know so exactly, but only, that this creature gave him a terrible fear. It might still look so very human or imitate a man in a pitiful way, it still didn't come from this world. And it also couldn't feel anything human. However what was this creature looking for here then? A chosen one? Chosen ofr what? Johan didn't know what to do, if he shall run away, or if staying would be the better possibility, but he still stayed. Maybe this was a mistake, because the light creature only giggled a bit when he took some stepts towards the tree. Every second Johan was afraid to be discovered, but then the creature stopped again. "I feel... a creature which is not quite dissimilar to me ... It is somebody with a tendency towards the light.."

It paused to then adress indirectly to Johan. "Who or whatever is here... it won't disturb my plan..." With that, the creature turned around again and walked away. The behavior of this creature made Johan interested, so he dared to throw a gaze at it when it walked even more away. It smiled quietly to itself when it was sure that he got the attention of Johan and then it whispered a few last words. "The Opening ball..."

All of a sudden a bright light dazzled Johan so much that he could not even see the hands which he hold in front of his eyes out of a protection reflex. The light flooded him, it mercilessly surrounded him until he lost the consciousness and simply didn't get like the nature in front of him disappeared in the light, became one with it.

It was still dark when he woke up again, bathed in sweat and wondering, whether all that he had just seen was a bad dream. But why was he trembling like this, why were those just seen pictures still so alive in him? The more seconds passed, the more sure Johan was that it was this creature that Juudai warned him off indirectly. But something else also disturbed Johan. The creature has mentioned the opening ball tomorrow... did that mean that it would appear there and leave even more destruction behind? Then it must really be the enemy that made Juudai so nervous, that he was so withdrawn. And he still couldn't get rid of the thought that Yubel was somehow involved in this whole thing.

Joahn straightened up again, mopped the sweat of his forehead, stood up and leaned on the tree behind which he had hided when he made this strange observation. Whatever it all meant, he should probably go and tell Juudai about this. But the simple fact that Juudai already was behaving strange, and that he seemed to suffer under the knowledge that there was something out there stopped Johan from telling Juudai immediatly. Instead the Norwegian confined himself to tell Juudai about it tomorrow. The best after the lesson.

"Yubel ... please stop!", Juudai shouted, as he tried to calm Yubel who threw cushions after Juudai through the entire room.

"NO!", she shouted back, "what are you doing behind my back with someone else??!"

Sho just looked at them both, how they ran around the quite narrow room, with Juudai searching for protection, while Yubel tried hard to give way to her anger in a possible harmless way. Thanks God, Sho thought, she wasn't throwing with something more dangerous than just cushions. Knives, Dragon fire, or shells would have been must worse. Much worse. In his eyes it looked as if Yubel would enjoy the cushion fight, as well as Juudai, but when Yubel suddenly stopped and let her head hang down to hide her angry look from Juudai and Sho, he then noticed how serious she was. Juudai also stopped with a guilty look in his face when he noticed the seriousness of the situation, and when he could hear a faint quiet sob from Yubel which was so quiet that he could also thought of it as not being real. Juudai's heart stopped for a second at that sound, and he slowly approached Yubel to calm her down.

"Yubel ... I am sorry for whatever I might have done... but it is not how you think it is... you have misunderstood something here..."

"Oh yeah?", she shouted angrily, when she pushed away his hand, "I don't think so. Juudai, you don't understand anything!!!"

With that she ran through the door, having lost all caution. She left a sulking Juudai and an extremely confused Sho.

"Aniki, what have you done?"

"You know it yourself. I have just talked with Johan, that's all..."

Sho nodded only dumbly and thought then after that: "And you still don't understand what has hurt Yubel? Then I am the one here who understand it even better." He got up with that.

"Don't worry, Aniki, I will calm her down." He grinned at his big brother, when he ran after Yubel to talk with her. Juudai looked guilty to the groud, when Sho left him now, knowing all too well why Yubel was behaving like that, but he still denied to admit it to himself.

"Yubel !!", the small blue-haired boy cried out into the night, but he found her below the stairs to their accomodation. She only sat there and wiped a tear off when Sho came closer to her.

"Leave me alone", she pleaded, "I want to be alone."

"Yubel... you talk about problems with your friends when you don't feel too well,so that you can feel far better afterwards. I want to give you that possibility now by listening to you", Sho explained to her when he sat down next to her. "And because we have just become friends, it is even more imporatnt that you open up to me. So, what was going on right now? Why have you been so angry when you came back?"

"You wouldn't understand that, Sho."

"Can it be that you are jealous?" Yubel looked up and into Sho's eyes.

"Where do you want to know this from?", she gave back.

"You must be jealous of Johan otherwise you would not be so furious just because Aniki talked to him only briefly." With that he had caught Yubel ice-coldly, the formerly so powerful and strong Yubel. She replied nothing but looked away again and avoided visual contact with Sho and this showed to him that he was right.

"And if so", she quietly gave back.

"But in that case I don't understand why exactly you are jealous. Is there a reason for that? I mean, you are living here with us, together with Juudai, while Johan isn't. You can be together with Juudai after his lessons, if you want to, so where is your problem? Or.. can it be that..." Sho went quiet when he started to think more and when a new thought crossed his mind. Naive as he was, he simply said out loud what he thought. "Or can it be that you have indications that they are in love with each other?"

Yubels eyes narrowed and she winced, she then saw Sho furiously in the eyes. "Stop this!", she screeched, "Never mention what you have said right now in my presence ever again!!! I don't want to hear this!"

"So it is true... what have you seen when you have taken control over Johan's body? There you must have gotten the most hints..", Sho rebored curiously, "Oh man, they they DO feel something for each other..."

"Sho..please...stop it!" Sho looked pityingly at Yubel when he noticed that he rather tormented her with that rather than to help her.

"I am sorry Yubel, I am so sorry, sometimes I lack sensitivity too."

Yubel moaned when she finally calmed down a bit and put a hand on her forehead.

"It's okay", she mumbled, "I have just noticed that. But it is not only what you have already mentioned. It is trued that it makes me furious to see that there obviously is something more between them than just friendship. But I am even more angry at the fact that I cannot be with Juudai all the time, really all the time. I am longing for this so much. I also want to go with him to his lessons and the most I wish...", she then looked dreamily into the night sky, "..the most I wish I could dance with him at that ball tomorrow."

Sho looked at how Yubel stared into the sky, with a faint smile on her face, when she dreamed of how it would be like to dance with her lover, to turn endless circles among people who would perhaps admire their love. He would never have thought that Yubel, the so bad and sadistic Yubel, a hermaphrodite, half a man, could cherish such a girlish dream of all things. But Sho couldn't help but to feel some sympathy for her when he saw Yubel smile like that. She had entrusted to him what she wished for the most at that moment. That also made him smile.

"Who knows", he said, "maybe one day it really will happen. Maybe not tomorrow, Yubel, but somewhen. Maybe even here, under this dark sky, under the Slifer Red accomodation. Would you care about where it has to be when you finally dance with Aniki?"

"Yeah, I think so. But I want to have some music and at least a few other people around then", she admitted. Sho had to laugh at that and even Yubel joined in. "But then you gotta be there, Sho!"

"He? Yes, of course!"

They still sat there a while when Sho then rose, knocked the sand of his trousers and said: "so, I have to go back inside now. You can still stay here if you want to, but come back in if you want to sleep, okay? You know where you find the blanekts, right?"

"Yes Sho. Good night." And she really remained in the darkness for a while and wrapped herself into the darkness which she needed for her life.


	8. Increasing Doubts

Chapter 8: Increasing doubts

She dreamt this night and it was the first time after an infinitely long time that she dreamt again, because she had tried to give up dreaming entirely for so long, because it reminded her of all her pains again and again. And still she couldn't hold back her dreams entirely, and they came through, with always the same pictures they tormented her. With pictures of her past, with pictures of the person she longed the most for.

Sometimes, in irregular distances, the pictures of Juudai came through, penetrated into her heart and filled it with even more cold and pain. When she was still in space and managed to retire completly into the world of herself, she could prevent that these memories penetrated into her heart and threatened to destroy her inwardly. It prevented that her heart shattered with mourning, prevented that she hurt herself with she could never be certain that her memories and desires wouldn't reach her somehow - because if someone denies or hides something, the more it wants to break through and it was just like that with her as well.

Juudai appeared in front of her in her dream, smiled gently at her, and extended his hand for her, softly touched her cheeks and moved closer to her face when his lips touched hers but she really couldn't feel anything. "Don't be sad, Yubel.. I am with you, I will always be with you, just like I have promised..." Still caught in the feeling of love that this illusion gave her, the truth finally reached her and she screamed: "You liar! Why, why have you done this to me???!!! You have sent me here!! You are not really here... I only wish you were... I only wish it... so.. very ...much..." Whenever she saw through this illusion in which her dreams led her to believe she met the truth with a full force, a weight which seemed to be greater than the earth or the universe. A pain which hurt her so much that she longed to pass away gently, just to escape the drilling thought, because the death would mean relief in this case. And it would make sense, even if it would remove her soul even farther from the one of her lover. But wasn't it compeltly careless in this situation? She anway was already too far away from the soul of Juudai, sent away by himself, without any hope to ever return again to him, and even the death could not send her farer away than she already was.

But when came it, the thought that made everything so very easy for her and worked at her like a sedative injection, the thought that put her quiet and fetched her of the despair so that she could think clearly again and find even new hope? Her natural element was the darkness, but before her exile she never had suspected what it would mean to really have darkness in the heart. With the thought that Juudai let her suffer out of love the light came into her heart for the first time, the light of hope, a power of which she was afraid of at first, but which she accepted in the end, because she was tired of the endless mourning and she wanted to live, to live for her lover. She wanted to return to him and saw that it was possible. The light showed it to her. In the end, her will was far stronger than her self-pity, only thanks to the light that gave her the strength to renounce the darkness of her heart. And still she couldn't renounce the darkness completly, she still needed it to live. Just like she needs the light to gain the power to not give up again until she had what she wanted.

So it came that she met Hikari again and cleared her way between light and darkness. Her way back to Juudai Yuki, her lover.

A glistening light appeared besides her, as she remembered and illuminated the darkness a little with his radiant light. Yubel turned round to the light, well knowing who was paying a visit to her although it astonished her how he could have found a way to her. "Yubel, again lost in thought?" "Hikari...what are you doing here? I thought we left you in Neo-Space." Hikari giggled quietly. "What kind of naive dragon you are, Yubel. I can repeat it for you, Yubel. I am the light and can be everywhere I wish to be."

"I still wonder how you could make it to come here, if I am a creature of darkness."

"This..is my secret. But tell me.. you are worried about your lover, aren't you? Do you fear, Yubel, that something might happen to him, or do you fear that he leaves you alone, that he leaves you completly and forgets you in space again? That he prefers someone else before you?"

Yubel only remained silent for a few moments, just looking at Hikari. "What shall this? I know I am important for Juudai. He even has fused his soul with mine. He lets me live with him. And one day we will be together just like in old times."

"Nonsense", Hikrai whispered quietly, "it surprises me how girlish and naive you are when you are in the near of this boy. What happened to the strong Yubel, who didn't care a thing about anothers, who could sacrifice and could enjoy pains about everything? You have got terribly soft lately. And you gratefully take all illusions that this little boy with his glasses and ice blue hair serves you. Even though you know deep inside your heart that he lied to you. Juudai falls in love with Johan slowly but certain and you can do nothing against it. And when the two come together, it will be over for you and your dreams. Then he will send you into space again, because you have become useless for him, just like you have already become so when you offered your human existence to become a dragon. You sure still remember how frustrated Haou was, right? You couldn't be together in your earlier life from that moment on. Und now you still cannot be. Your time will never come."

"STOP IT!", Yubel shrieked, as she put her hand on the sides of her head, because the words of Hikari affected a sensitive place in her. She began to doubt more and more and the light in her heart seemed to be trying to use this. She couldn't allow this and these doubts nevertheless consolidated always more. Wasn't Hikari right?

In the past, they couldn't be together because there already were rumors at the court and after their rebirth Juudai was too young to understand her deep love in any way, and now there was so much pain inbetween them, that they still had to face.

"Let me! You are wrong! We are together, we will always be!", Yubel mumbled. "I understand. You still are in the stage of denying but you will see the truth one day and you then will ask me for help. Because Yubel ... you may think, that I am here to torment you, but this is not true, I only want to help you."

This made Yubel giggle: "You? Help me? I am not the only one who is denying something here. You only want to use me for your purposes so that you have access to Juudai more easily. But I as his protectress won't allow this."

"Haha, you really must have a short memory. You don't know any more I have already helped you twice? You have just remembered one of those times.. But now then ... if you still deny, then the day on which you will understand completely will come anyway soon. Then you will come to me, and I will help you to make Juudai forever yours, just like I once already did it." A malicious grin showed itself briefly on the fluent face of Hikari when he turned round and disappeared. Yubel sighed, when she saw that he has disappeared and she thought. Thousand thoughts buzzed in a mess in her head and a terrible feeling spread in her - doubt. She slowly didn't know whom she should believe more, whether Juudai was honest to her, whether Sho or Hikari lied to her. And why for sky's sake should Hikrai, who only wanted to help her allegedly, first resolve the fusion with Juudai and then make the doubts which where already inside of her increase more? "No...Hikari only wants to use me, that is all. I cannot fall into this. I have Juudai on my side, and I will protect him, with everything I have. Just like this I have Sho, and as long as I have them, Hikari, you won't be able to do anything against me. LISTEN YOU WON'T HAVE A CHANCE!!!"

Something shook her and she slowly came back to herself when she felt how something has wrapped arms around her and tried to calm in a quiet whisper. "Please wake up, Yubel, Yubel! You had only a nightmare!" she saw Sho which looked in her face gottenly and also Juudai, with the same face, besides him.

"What... happened?", Yubel asked confused, when she straightened up.

"You seemed to have a nightmare, I guess. In any case, you suddenly started screaming, and to beat around you wildly," Sho said.

"Oh", Yubel made, who suddenly felt embarrassed, "I am so sorry."

"No, you don't need to.", Juudai said, who took her hands into his and then hugged Yubel, "I know myself how it was when I had nightmares like this and you tried to calm me down."

"Juudai", Yubel whispered still coyly, but she noticed that he was right and that this time it was the other way round, and that he had to calm her down and not she him.

"Yubel, what have you dreamed?", Juudai asked curiously but carefully through the embrace. The hermaphrodite hesitated, whether she should tell it to him, well knowing that she didn't want to worry Juudai however also because she herself didn't know whether it had been only dream or another reality. She decided in favor of the safer variant.

"I..don't remember any more...", she said and again hold her head, but then she cuddled closer to Juudai when she noticed that she could use this situation to be more near to Juudai and he also allowed it. All of them were silent for a few moments, while Juudai, without saying a word, stroked through through Yubel's messy hair, until Yubel could calm down and go back to her duties again.

"But say, you all have to go to bed again!! Dart, dart into bed! Especially you Juudai, I know how much sleep you do need."

"That would bring nothing anyway", Sho only meant, when he indicated the window with a nod of the head by which the rising sun already shone sighed and hold himself in the embrace of Yubel, because she already felt as warm and soft as his blanket which he usuallly would still need at this time of the day. Sho got up and decided to get ready for the schoolday while Yubel was getting up to carry the fallen asleep Juudai into his bed, to spread the blanket over him and to then sit down at the edge of the bed to protect his sleep. Sho came back from the the bath and asked: "You then will wake him just again, so that he isn't late in the lesson?"

"I don't know. I don't want to charge him, and if he needs a little longer sleep ... but I will wake him already on time, so that he isn't late for the lesson. "

Sho, without saying a word, went through his school things.

"But you still haven't talked with him, right?"

"Talked about what?"

"Well, about your feelings and about what you want most at the moment. That you want to accompany him and that you want to dance with him."

"No, I couldn't do this until now, it was already late evening whenwhen we talked and now he has to concentrate on school."

"Do you have fear to tell him?", Sho giggled.

"NO!"; Yubel said in an irritated tone, "I only don't know how to tell him, and especially when. This evening the ball I wanted to dance on already takes place.." It made her sad to think about that it would not be allowed for her to take part in the solemnities directly, and Sho noticed this and tried to comofrt her. "Hey, Yubel, listen up! Just talk to him in the break. If you tell him how you feel he will be able to take your feelings into consideration. But, if you are silent, you cannot expect Juudai to know what you think because he doesn't have a third eye, which can reveal this to him, yet alone he doesn't have any experience in matters of the heart and we both know that very well, right? Therefore, if you like, I let him know before the first big break that I would like to talk with him about something important on the meadow, he then hopefully comes there and then you have your opportunity to be able to speak with him frankly closed, what you think?"

Surprised about Sho's ability to hatch such a plan so fast made Yubel to finally agree "Thank you, Sho. You are a trued friend."

"Always with pleasure, Yubel. I also slowly wonder what Aniki really thinks." "I can read thoughts but not feelings, so I also would like to know the truth."

It didn't last long, and Yubel woke Juudai up to send him to school once again, once again too prematurely for Juudai's taste but after all with not so violent means as in the case of the last time. This nevertheless did not demolition Juudai's tiredness, on the contrary, it became even worse with that.

"Why does she wake a later-riser like me up anyway?", Juudai asked his little brother, "I finally want to sleep as long as I want to."

"Then you have to wait for the weekend there, then Yubel could let you sleep a bit longer on Saturday and Sunday. It isn't long til then, we have Thursday today."

On the way to the lesson they found the others very quickly, who stood in front of a poster and read what was written on it. "What's going on here?", Juudai asked Asuka in a curious tone when he found her in the crowd of pupils.

"Oh good morning, Juudai-kun. They only have just put up the list for the different clubs. There is a new theater club just like a kind of art club set up by our new teacher."

"And you intend to join one of these clubs, Asuka?"

The dark-blonde girl giggles. "Yes, I intend to do this indeed. You know I had intened to do this eternities ago, but til now I have simply find no time at all to join any of these clubs. Now that our schooltime is nearly over, I want to join one to not regret anything", she confessed to the two.

"Maybe you want to join of these clubs with me?"

"Well, no I don't think that there is somethi8ng interesting for me", Juudai stated. "That's a pity, I thought we all could join one of these clubs together."

"Asuka, who knows, maybe we really find a club in which we all could join", Sho said in an optimistic tone.

"Yes, who knows. But now, let's go to lesson."

"Yes" With that Sho follow Asuka while Juudai stopped at the list and had a quick look at it. *So, Mr. Koouzima also has founded a club on his own... I wonder if everything is going there okay... without any mean intentions..* He didn't waste much more broader thoughts on it and followed finally his two friends.

Asuka also worried increasingly about Juudai. usually he would go along enthusiastically with all that she had to suggest and they have been going through so many things together, whether if was dangerous things or normal life things. But now he was like changed. He didn't speak that much, and he even laughed much less than in the past, he even tried to avoid them. When all these thoughts shot through her head, she could no longer so completely concentrate on the lesson. She instead rummaged in her little briefcase for an old photo whic she found quickly. Juudai could be seen in the picture with a broad grin that had disappeared now. Will it ever come again? Will she ever see it again?

It rang to the big break when Juudai, Sho and Asuka came from the lesson and Rei joined them in the walk together with Siraj at her hand.

"Hello! Juudai-sama!!", she screeched merrily. "How do you feel today?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine", Juudai thought in embarrassment. "And you two?"

"Yeah, not bad. At least we haven't written any exams yet, so I am really content." Siraj only meant, "but Rei seems to be excited because of today's ball. And she wonders if you already have a company."

"Exact!", Rei exclaimed, "and I wanted to know what you think about going there with me if you happen to have no company yet."

"Eh" This made the brown haired boy speechless. There wasn't just one, but three girls at once with which he could go to the ball, but he didn't see why he had to ask one of them out for ball anyway. "Do I have to make a decision? I mean, you all go there anyway, am I right? So why do I have to invite one of you there extra?" Asuka shook her head in disbelief. "Man, Juudai, I never thought you are this naive."

"Why this?", he asked back, "I am right, right? What have I not understood here?"

Siraj giggles queitly, but then asked Rei and Asuka: "Is he always like this?"

"Yes, mostly", Asuka confirmed with a nod of the head.

"I understand", the blonde haired girl of the first school year said and got closer to Juudai, to look at him with her deep blue eyes. " I now tell you something about girls, Juudai. Girls want to be invited to a ball by the boys, even though it is natural that they would of course show up there if that wasn't the case."

"But why?"

"Well, because it is more romantic. And I just want to point out...", Siraj whispered to him, "I think that these two there want something from you." With that she went back a step to give him a broad grin. All three looked at Juudai, excited, but that was too much for him to handle. Furiously he closed his eyes, snored briefly, waved at Sho, and then slowly went away, to left back a worried Asuka, a uncomprehently looking Rei, and a surprised Siraj.

"Wait, Juudai!", Sho exclaimed when he tried to follow the hasty steps of his Aniki. „I have a request to you!"

"Yes, and what is it then?", Juudai asked when he stopped.

"I want that you onto the meadow, to the tree."

"Why this?" Sho twitched with the shoulders.

"Oh just so. Just do it, okay, Aniki?"

"And what is waiting for me there? A date? Please Sho, if it is something like this, then please leave me alone with that!"

"No Juudai, don't worry it is something else and it is realy important! But please hurry before the break is over!" Sho gave Juudai a slight shove in the direction of the exit and Juudai understood. He trusted his little brother, so he did what he was asked to and made himself on the wa to the meadow.

Yubel already sat restlessly on the tree to which Juudai should come at once if Sho has meant it seriously and really has realized his plan. She has never felt so nervous with Juudai before a meeting, even if she cohabited with him anyway. Alos even if the both sucessfully managed to avoid talking with each other honestly lately. Now the opportunity to do so has come, but she doubted that she would find the courage to tel him what she already had told to Sho. Because it was too exhausting for her to sit, she got up and she already saw Juudai run towards her tree in the far. But then she remarked how Juudai stopped when a turquoise haired boy approached him.

"Juudai, where you run to?"

"Johan! What are you doing here? I thought you would spend some time with the others of your house?"

"Nope, why should I? I have to talk to you though..."

"About what?" Johan's smile died away and he looked worriedly at Juudai. "You still remember when we talked on that evening, and that I promised you to tell you if something weird would be happening, right?"

"Yeah..", Juudai meant hesitantly, that's true, I remember this. What happened?"

"It happened yesterday evening, shortly after you lfet me back. I have stood there alone for a while until I saw a light flashing. First I thought that it would be one of the new pupils, who has gone astray and who is trying to find his way back home with a flashlight, but when I looked closer, I couldn't believe what i saw. I have seen a creature in the clearing... ah, it is hard to describe. ... A creature which looked similiar to the one when we were thrown into the different dimension, you remember? When Kobra comitted suicide?"

"Yes", Juudai whispered, "you mean a shining humanoid?"

Johan nodded and the brown haired boy hold his breath. "Has it done something to you?", he asked, and grabbed Johan's hand. But he shook the head. "No, it hasn't. I am fine but I must admit that I have felt anything but comfortable in the society of this creature. And it has..."

"What?"

"I have the feeling that it will appear in the opening ball. The creature... it could talk... and has mentioned the opening ball tonight."

Juudai all of a sudden became very pale in his face, and has become very silent, while Johan wondered at the same moment, if he should have not told Juudai about this. "Juudai, what is with you?", he asked when his hands enclosed the ones of Juudai, "You have become so pale, aren't you feeling well?"

Juudai shook his head. "I am fine, but...you have to promise me that you won't go to the bal this evening!"

"Why not? Is it because of this creature?" Juudai didn't dare to look closer into the penetrating eyes of Johan, but the fact that he was avoiding the direct eye contact only meant one thing for Johan: "So this creature is the reason why you have changed so lately? Is it the new enemy?" The brown-haired fell off, and then nodded.

"Yes. That this creature appeared here means nothing good, believe me."

"If that is true, it won't do anything good if we just stay away from the party. We have to be there to protect our friends. And we also have to think about all the other persosn who will be on the party as well. We cannot tell everybody that the party is not going to take place because we suspect something we have absolutely no proof to."

"Yeah, but.. I dunno what we could do!"

"I dunno as well, but we will see. Don't worry, I am with you! And we at least could tell the others that should take care this evening, what do you think of that?"

Juudai nodded a little relievedly. "Yes, I think this helps me. Thanks Johan. Thank you for having told it to me. But I must go now."

"Good", the Norwegian nodded, " we meet a little earlier before the ball starts?"

"Yes!", Juudai shouted when he ran onwards.

Yubel couldn't believe it. Juudai has talked with him again. If he only knew how much she hated it t see him in the near of this Norwegian. But at least he now was on his way to her again.

And she had hardly ended this thought, as she already saw Juudai standing at the foot of the tree and looking around.

"Hello?", he shouted, "is someone waiting here for me?"

"Yes", a voice from above answered. Juudai looked up and saw his protector Yubel, who jumped down to him. "Wow, Yubel! I haven't thought to meet you here. So, you wanted to talk to me?"

She nodded: "Yes, I wanted this. Juudai, I must tell you so much ...ands I don't know where to begin..."

"I also have to tell you something!", Juudai said hastily, "Johan has just told me something I have never expected!"

"And that would be?", Yubel asked in a cool tone, "if it has something to do with your emotional life, I am not sure if I want to know."

"No, nothing like this! It has something to do with the ball. Wiht our enemy."

"What has Johan told you?"

"He has made an observation which is of highest interest. He has seen Hikari yesterday evening. And he will most probably attack on this ball." Whatever Yubel thought that Juudai could tell, this was certainly not something that she would have expected.

Surprised she looked at him. "If this is true, I don't want you to go to the ball!!", she exclaimed.

"I cannot Yubel! You know that I have came back to protect my friends, so that I can protect them from the enemy!", Juudai shouted back and Yubel retreated.

"Are they still that important for you that you want to risk your life for them?"

"Yes, as much as you would give your life for me."

"Yes. And this is why I don't want anything bad happen to you. Juudai, if that is true... let me with you this evening!"

"Of course... I wouldn't want... to go there... without you...", he admitted and Yubel wondered if he suddenly has been like this only due to the new threatening danger.

"But only because there is this danger waiting out there, right?" Juudai evaded her look when he admitted: "No... not only because of that... I would go there with you even if this danger woudlnt be there."

He went red in the face and Yubel felt a wave of luck going through her entire body at his word which also caused her to blush. After a short break in which nobody said anything, Yubel broke the silence by admitting: "I already understand you. I also want to.. to protect he is a friend." J

uudai looked into Yubel's face, happy. "wow... Yubel! I knew it would be a good experience for you when you make friends with Sho!"

"Yeah, you are right", she admitted coyly, "he is really nice and helps me when I have problems, And he even helped me when he got you to come here."

"You wanted to talk with me this much? About what?"

"I.. I wanted to ask whether we could dance on the ball together..."

"Dance together?", Juudai asked surprised.

"Yes ... I wanted it so much. I want to dance with my lover. And, Juudai, you are this lover for me. At present, I may be a hermaphrodite but I nevertheless cherish this dream of which all girls at this school may dream of lately. I want to dance with you."

Juudai didn't know what to say to this, this wish has surprised him too much for that. Still totally red on his face, the image of the hopeful face of Yubel mirrowed in his eyes, of the one who has sworn eternal, undying love, and to whom he has sworn the same oath. He quite weakly suddenly remembered something again: A boy, with whom he sneaked out in the night, to dance with him in the garden. The blue hair dropped in his face and his green eyes shone like emerald in the poor light of the windows. He remembered how the two have laughed very much, and noticed that this boy of that time was the Yubel which was just just asking him the same question. The same request for a dance. Juudai finally nodded. "Yes, Yubel, I promise you: we will dance tonight." Yubel flushed with pleasure.

"Really? Thanks Juudai!" She fell into his arms, pushed him quite tightly to herself, and finally gave him a kiss on the lips. When she had let him off again, Juudai staggered to behind before he caught himself again because he hadn't expected any so intense reaction from Yubel. But it nevertheless made him happy that she was happy.

He could hear the school bell, so he said goodbye to Yubel and ran back to the schoolhouse while the demoness was looking after him with love.

And nevertheless, although he had given her this promise ... what did she want to do against his relationship to Johan? Wasn't Hikari right in the end anyway? Would she lose him at the end, the one human she loves the most? And why hasn't she told him about the nightmare she had this morning, nothing about that she already has seen a suspicious light on the Island or about her increasing doubts?

Because before she realized it, she feared that the light could already shine inside her again...


	9. Veiled in the garden

Chapter 9: Veiled in the garden

Juudai was staring out of the window gottenly at the accomodation at Slifer Red, tried to calm down before the forthcoming ball a little but he couldn't do it. His thoughts revolved around his friends again and again and about what would happen if he appeared there. Should Johan have told the truth and the creature that he has seen and heard not lied, then the light of destruction would appear tonight and endanger his friends. What Juudai couldn't understand was how it could happen that the light of destruction was here again anyway, after Juudai fought it in his second school year. He still remembered lively the sermons which the light had preached to him. It has told of Destiny, about that everything is fated and that it knows the future of all humans and that it loves the suffering. It has taken Saiou's body and nearly has destroyed the entire world. Until Juudai showed him that one could take his destiny into his own hands. And about that what he knew of Yubel, and what was burried in his innermost part deeply, he knew that it was not the first time he has encountered the light. In his first life, the same light has shown him the way into the hereafter.

He on the one hand was confident that he could face Hikari again easily, but, if Juudai remembered what had happened in the soul cave, he wasn't that sure any more.

And still something seemed to come up slowly in Juudai: a terrible memory, the memory of the last moment of his life, when the darkness moved to make way for the light. The picture was still not quite clear in his head but he could see shreds of this moment in his dreams: A loud cry, tears, that try to tear the sky assounder, flames, a bright white shine, a creature with wings, tears in its two coloured eyes and on the cheeks...

He could hear a break at the door, as Sho came through it and he looked up. "Sho, where have you been, then?", Juudai asked him.

However, Sho looked strangely sad but nevertheless answered him: "I had to talk a word a with Professor Chronos and Samejima."

"Have you been punished?"

"No, no, how do you come to think of that?"

"well, because you make a sad face as this?" Sho briefly shook his head and then put on a smile. "No, it is nothing really. Really, Aniki, I am fine!" A fluttering from wings attracted the attention.

"You slowly have to get ready for the ball, it is in two hours already."

"Thanks for the hint, Yubel", Juudai meant, stood up and opened his cupboard thoughtfully. "Perhaps I would have been supposed to borrow something from Fubuki anyway."

"Why Aniki, you don't have anything fitting?"

"No, I planned to go in my school uniform, but now that I think about it, I guess it doesn't really fit for the occasion."

"Ha, there you should have thought about it a bit earlier. I have something fitting for the occasion, but I need it myself, and on top of that it would not really fit you, because you are much taller than I am." Sho took out his suit and got into the bath to get dressed, while Juudai tought a bit more about this, then twitched with the shoulders and left the whole matter in abeyance, however. There after all, he was sure, Yubel would also not put on anything fancy for this occasion as well, would she? And he wasn't after that anyway, he liked his normal everyday clothes too much, furthermore a suit with fly only could disturb him in case the emergency really would happen.

Yubel lay comfortably on Juudai's bed and watched her lover, but she wondered at the same time what was going on with Sho when he came in. She saw how wordless and serious Juudai has become when he sat down on a free seat in the near of the bed on which she lay. "Juudai, I know you are worried, but please try to clam down at least a little bit...", she said to him.

"How should I?"

"Please, at least try it." Yubel put her arms around Juudai and could feel how his tensed muscles began to relax slowly under her touch. He looked up at her face and could see her two eyes glitter like two precious stones. he didn't know why, but her presence in this moment gave him strenght and somehow took away a bit of his nervousness.

Shortly after that Sho got back, ready and dressed in a black suit with a white fly. Yubel and Juudai weren't badly astonished at the presentation. "Wow, Sho, you look super! If your Aniki would wear something like this as well, I wouldn't be able to hold myself back any longer", Yubel commented.

"Leave this!", Juudai said, "I already said that I don't have anything like this to dress into for the ball!"

"Which is really a pity, Juudai-kun."

"So", Sho asked the two, "Is Yubel coming with us now or not? And if yes, how does she intend to go there?"

"Oh!", Juudai made, "I haven't thought a bit about that!"

"But I did!", Yubel said as she stood up from the bed and then lifted a long black cape of one of the corners of the room. "I will carry this here and accompany you both to in front of the entrance for the celebration at least. I myself go in after that and mix with people. And I will wait for you Juudai, so that we can dance like you have promised to me."

Juudai nodded dumbly but a thought nevertheless didn't please him: "But if anyone tries to take off the cape, to see who is under there?"

"No, don't worry i won't be allowing anyone to do this. I will be careful and I will keep away from your friends as best as possible. Because, they shouldn't know that I am here, right?"

"So, everyone's ready?", Sho asked the two.

"Give me one moment!", Yubel said when she punt on the long cape and roamed the hood over her face. She checked the seat once again, then she nodded and stood besides Juudai while Sho was striding first through the door, followed by Juudai. He locked the door after everyone was outside.

"Johan has asked me before to meet up with him."

"Good, but what is wrong with you then, Aniki? Why are so nervous all the time now? Or have you arranged a date with a girl, huh?"

"No, you know that I have promised Yubel to dance with her."

Yubel's cape rustled at every step of her and she said in a tone of supressed anger: "But why do you have to meet Johan again?"

Juudai stopped aburptly and turned round to Yubel. "What shall this, Yubel? Can it be that you have something against Johan?"

"How do you come to that? No, of course not", she lied, but inwardly something contracted in her and she felt suddenly bad when she remembered her dream and her doubts which seemed to confirm more - slowly but for certain. But perhaps she overreacted now? Yes, right, she should relax for the time being, after all she still had a dance with Juudai later on to enjoy. This thought brightened her up again. Juudai on the meanwhile casted a brief sceptical look at her before he turned to Sho to confide in him: "Sho, listen to me. When we meet the others, we have to tell them to be very careful. Something will happen on this evening if the hints that I have gotten are really true."

"What do you mean, Aniki? Can't you speak it out clearly, or why are you talking in riddles like that?"

"I..."

"Juudai, what is going on? That you are nervous, that you are worried and that you changed, it all has to something with that, right?"

"I will tell it later on... but first we have to find Johan."

"Well then, Aniki, but then I finally want answer, also as to why we have a secret flatmate living with us. Because she also doesn't want to say a thing."

The three hurried up and already saw the entrance to the big lecture room in which the party should take place as well as the first guests to enter.

Around the entrance itself stood some of the members of the comitee and Juudai could also find Johan quickly, who had specially dressed up for the party. Juudai approached Johan a little more and showed Yubel and Sho with a hand-sign to stay were they currently were while he was away. He talked with Johan briefly, and then came back to the two waiting people together with him. Johan greeted Sho with a "hello!", but then became more skeptic when seeing the person under the cloak. "Juudai, who is that?"

"That's.. eh.. an acquaintance of mine.."

"And why so veiled?"

"That doesn't matter! Now let's talk about the party."

"Oh well", Johan nodded, "but you know that you have to tell us everything now, right?" Juudai breathed out heavily, when he had to admit that Johan is right. But could he really tell everything he knew in this short time that was left for them until the party finally started? He had to say at least a little bit, now that he had assembled the people around him whom he had told a little bit already, something that he would have like to have hushed up, however. And only one of them knew the whole truth.

"So, will you finally tell us what is going on?"

"Good", Juudai said with a heavy heart, "I have no choice any more, and especially if what you have really seen is really true. You are right when you say that I am nervous, because a new kind of enemy has arrived."

"What?", Sho breathed out, "so this is why..." Unnoticed his look went over to the cloaked Yubel, and he suddenly understood why she was here.

"Therefore...", Juudai continued, "Johan had made an observation which lets me believe that this said enemy will appear today and I don't want and dare to think about what will happen if he really does..."

"What kind of enemy is that, Aniki?"

"I...Sho.." Juudai looked into the eyes of his little brother when it striked him that Sho would know in the instant moment in which he would utter the word. "Sho, it's the light of destruction! It has come back!" Sho's eyes widened when it got clear to him what Juudai had uttered just right now.

"But... how can this be?? You have already defeated it once!" Johan, who didn't know anything about these previous events because he has joined the school at the third year, and Yubel, who had never heard the story about Saiou and the light of destruction in all its details, looked both up and while Yubel remained silent, Johan asked: "You also know what enemy it is?"

"Yes", Sho nodded, "You cannot know anything about it because you haven't been here when it happened. It happened during the second school-year on this academy when this enemy came along for the first time. It is a long story, but let's say that it was some sort of evil alien who desired the destruction of this world to create a new one instead." Johan nodded when he understood what Sho had said. So..an alien. A non-human being, which also gave him the feeling that it can never be human. Just like this being made out of light which he had encountered a while ago.

"I have seen this weird light of the destruction", Johan admitted and Sho seemed even more shocked.

"How. you have seen it?", he enquired hastily, "are you absolutely sure on this one?"

"Yes", he nodded as a reply. "How can it be when the light of destruction always tended to search for hosts to stay in them? Just like with Saiou back then?"

"That I don't know, Sho. I dunno how it can be that now it can act independently but I know that it is stronger than before now. So strong that I am afraid that me being worried might be too less even.." Sho out a hand on Juudai's shoulder to calm him. "But Aniki, why haven't you told us about it before? I myself would have worried lesser about you. And besides I understand what you are talking about because we had defeated this enemy once too."

"Yes, I know... but... I dunno what has brought me to hide it for such a long time.."

"Maybe it is a tendency to that since you have came back from the dark world? I also see that you have changed in that side that you don't take any help and want to solve everything on your own because you fear that otherwise your friends could get harmed. But that is not true. Our friendship is strong enough to even overcome that, you will see!", Johan said when he looked into Juudai's eyes soothingly. Juudai felt alot better, nearly as if a heavy weight has been put away from his shoulders. This feeling which is new, but won again and very old, which was something that he has missed since the old days almost made him cry, so he closed his eye to rub them. "I am sorry, people. I am sorry that I haven't told it to you earlier. I haven't done that because I don't trust you, I have done that because I was so worried about you.."

"Don't worry, we know that", Sho smiled at him and Johan nodded.

To see them like this, with their friendly eyes and the trust which they gave him even after all of this made Juudai even happier so that he had to fight against upcoming tears again. When they noticed that, Johan and Sho had to laugh, and Yubel let a small sigh escape her lips. "But now that we know what it is, we have to find them and tell them", Johan said.

"Let's go inside and try to find them!"

"But do you have any idea of what the light might want here anyway?", Sho threw into the, and the others stopped briefly.

"I dunno, but I don't believe that the light has come to just start a few friendly duels with some people here. Especially if it has tried to destroy this planet earlier! Nothing more and nothing less!", Juudai sai.

"But what exactly is it looking for? It has not enough power to make his plans come true and we know that."

"I have no idea, brother, if I would know that, I would have one worry less." And even so Juudai knew what the light might be looking for.

Soon, the final fight will be held, between your and my chosen one ...

these were the last words of Hikari, which Yubel had heard before they both came back to the duel academy.

"It doesn't matter, now let's not waste evn more time and let's get finally inside." At these words Juudai came towards Yubel and took her hand into his. One could not actually see their hands, since the cape also concealed them, which was quite good if one wanted to keep her identity secret. When Juudai drew her behind himself here, Johan cast a sceptical look at her once again. Why hadn't Juudai even said yet who hides under this cape? Why hasn't this person had a single word up till now? If he didn't know better, the shape could have well been the light of the destruction hidden under the cape, he, however, doubted that Juudai could make such a mistake especially if he had such worries about his friends that he retired completely of them. Johan decided to let it be for the time being. They had to care about more important things.

The party in the hall already was under the full walk as they entered. People were everywhere, just as Kenzan had predicted before, also people from older years who wanted to celebrate with the newcomers. Because there were so many people that they all wouldn't fit into the lecture room, the room for the party was expanded to the garden in front of the lecture room. At the celebrations outside the garden adorned over and over with shining garlands and offered a beautiful picture and an ideal place for couples in love who wanted to be alone. The real party went off inside -- a band played on a stage built up especially for it, the first people already danced on the big dance floor while others were already doing themselves amicably at the buffet. Immediately when they were in the middle of the party they began to look around for their friends what, however, wasn't that easy with the crowd everwhere and because they had two places in which they could loook out for them. "What do we do now?", Sho asked unsurely and looked up into the faces of Johan and Juudai. "It would be best for us to split up. We meet back at the entrance when we have found them, or one of them, okay?"

"Good idea! I go to the garden with him", Juudai said and pointed out to Yubel under the cape.

"I go to the buffet!", said Sho. "Well, I then look around on the dance floor. We then see each other here!" With that the friends split up to look out for the others.

Juudai and Yubel stopped first when they were in the considerably more quiet garden. There were numerous hedges which lay around, under this also a little garden labyrinth. Juudai then stopped and Yubel did it like he. "Why are we here ?", the hermaphrodite asked him in his female voice.

"Because I first want to avoid being in the larger crowd with you. I am in fact happy that you were able to be in the near of Johan without being found out or exposed too much."

"And you think that we will find one of your friends here?"

"Who knows, maybe Asuka. Or Rei. Maybe one of the girls, since they seem to like flowers if I remember correctly, right?"

"That's true. I also love flowers myself - if you haven't already noticed it at our fight."

"But I have noticed this. You have loved flowers in our past before anyway, too. I remember quite weakly a kind of castle gardens, covered about and about with all possible flowers, and you in the middle of the whole ... in your human shape..."

"So, you still do remember something from back then"

"Yes, but only weakly." Yubel giggled quietly.

"It still makes me happy to know that you still remember something from our past life..." Juudai blushed slightly.

"Yes, that may be but..."

"What?"

"I wonder if I still feel the same for you than in the past." Yubel was a little disappointed of this comment of Juudai.

"What shall this, Juudai? I thought you would know exactly how your emotional life is."

***And that especially if you have promised to love me forever***, Yubel thought bitterly. So he wanted Johan more than her. So he wouldn't keep his promise again. What was she doing here then? What had she hoped for? That he really would dance with her? How naive of her ...

"Yubel, what is with you?", Juudai asked when she hadn't spoken in a while.

"Juudai... well... is there somebody who... in whom... with whom you are in love?", Yubel asked him quietly and regretted it immediately that she had asked this question. The brown-haired one became red and shook the head.

"No ... at least ... I", he stuttered confused. What should this question? But then it fell for him like shack of the eyes.

"So you want to know whether I feel something for you?" Yubel got bright red and shoved the hood of her cape still far more over the face so that he couldn't see which heat had taken possession of her. But just when he wanted to answer to her question a girl with bright blue eyes and a long turquoise dress came to them.

Both turned round to her, Yubel concerned as always that the hood wouldn't fly from her head. When Juudai saw the girl, he remembered his vision suddenly, the weird dream he had shortly before he had met her for the first time. Siraj.

"Hello Juudai!", she said enjoyably, as she approached them. "What do you do here in the garden? Who is your companion?", she asked in the sight of the veiled person.

"Oh hello Siraj!", Juudai said surprised, man, you really have frightened me here when you suddenly came along!"

"Have I disturbed you both at something?"

"What? eh, no, no, it is okay..." Juudai looked to and fro between Siraj and Yubel. A strange feeling has gotten ahold of him, the strange feeling of once having these two persons around him at the same time which couldn't be if he knew Siraj only for a few days now. He said nothing when Siraj watched him curiously, but he could feel that Yubel herself seemed to scrutinize Siraj for her part substantially.

"And what do you do here, Siraj? I mean, I at least have someone here with me, but you don't seem to be around on some romantic adventure now, right?"

She shook her head. "It is true I am here alone and try to find the others. I find it a little a pity that nobody has invited me to the ball but one cannot have everything, right? After all, we girls can come alone here as you have already noticed correctly. But your companion ... say, is this your girlfriend by any chance? But if so, why is she veiled? Is it because of religious reasons?"

"Eh.. yes!", Juudai agreed, "there you are completely right!"

"Oh, but it is so cruel to make a girl walk around completely veiled like this", Siraj said and took a step further to Yubel. "Hello! I am Siraj, a friend of Juudai!", she said when she bowed in front of her and extended a hand towards her.

Yubel wasn't sure how to react, but then spoke in her female voice because Juudai had already indicated that she is a girl.

"Nice to meet you, Siraj! I am..." Yubel broke off briefly to consider a kind of assumed name," my name is Yuuka." She accepted Siraj's hand however without her hands getting really visible from these too long sleeves. The thought of how this fair-haired girl would react if she knew that she had just met a not human being shot Yubel by the head just like probably also Juudai because he had immediately started to grin. Siraj then addressed the brown-haired boy again. "But say Juudai, ist that girl there your girlfriend now or not?", she asked him when she nudged him lightly.

"My what?", Juudai asked shocked, "No, no.. at least...eh..no, she is not..."

"I understand...", Siraj said with a significant look. "But Yuuka, can't I see you without this cape for once?"

"No, this is not possible", she answered, "at least I cannot show myself off to you today. It is tradition, you see." At this answer Yubel's Juudai suddenly could not hold himself back as he broke into a fit of laughter, because it looked too funnys to see the two like that, and with Yubel and her reason which sounded more than outragous to a person as sceptical as Siraj. But she, maybe because she was a little bit shy around new people, seemed to approve this reason, even though she always used to say that the adventures of Juudai and his friends in the Isekai were nothing more than illusions and that she could hardly believe in something as duel spirits, unless she put them of as a heavy pyschosis.

But Juudai didn't know very much more about her - nothing about her hobbies, nothing about her past, or why she had come her to duel academia, or how she usually was. They didn't know each other very well, and even if they should be on the watch on this party now, Juudai couldn't differently but to take this opportunity to get to know her a little better. "Siraj, you know what I notice?", Juudai thought suddenly. "I don't know much yes what over you although we have made friends few days ago. It would be good if you could tell a little bit more about yourself." The fair-haired girl nodded lively.

"You are right, I haven't told you much about me but I have been here for only a short amount of time, right? well, maybe it is because I usually spend more time with Asuka or Rei, they two are really nice. I should probably do more with you boys, with Johan, Sho, Kenzan and Jun... but somehow I seem to get along far better with girls than with boys."

"To me it doesn't matter if boy or girl. "

"I know, I have heard a few things about you from Asuka."

"Yeah, but say, why have you come here to the academy? What are your hobbies? What have you done in the past?"

"Oh, there isn't anything interesting that has happened in my past. I am normal girl with normal parents. I have lived in Tokio for a few years before moving to Osaka. I have gone to elementary school as normal, before I decided to come to this academy because I want to become a pro-duelist, and if not that then maybe a teacher. I dunno yet what of the two things I will exactly do, but I am only in my first year now, so I have enough time to still think about that." She smiled briefly before she asked: "Juudai, would you mind if I go and get a drink for me? I will come back later on, and then we can talk a little bit more."

"eh, sure...", Juudai agreed, not conscious that he just might have lost one of his friends in the crowd again. Siraj disappeared and he soon lost the sight of her. Now he was again alone with Yubel.

A voice reminded him of it exactly again. "Juudai, why you have her let go? We should take her along to our meeting place!"

"Huh, I am sorry Yubel, I totally forgot!"

"Oh well, let's just hope she really does come back later on."

Then again a short silence was between them before Juudai suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter and Yubel looked at him confused. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time, Juudai..."

"sorry, I cannot differently, I just... it is just too funny how you two stood there! And Siraj is not a person who would take such a reason and accept it! I know she is alot more sceptical."

Yubel only twiched with the shoulders. "At least you finally laugh again, it was already due. Especially on this party. But what concerns me about this girl, I have a weird feeling about her."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, but something about her face seems alot familiar to me... as if I have seen her somewhere before."

"You too?? I had the same feeling."

Then Juudai had to laugh again. "What is it now?"

"Your new name, Yuuka-chan!", Juudai laughed and Yubel again looked at him confused.

"Hey, I had to think of something, I just cannot tell her that I am Yubel or the talk goes around faster than you want it!", she warned him.

"Yeah yeah, I know, I just notice that it nearly sounds as my last name. Yuuka...Yuki...that is really funny!"

"Oh, it is just the first best thing that came to my mind and if I had delayed on my name even longer even she would have found that weird."

"That's true", he agreed, after wiping away the tears of laughter. "But now come, we could look around again or wait for her here. What shall we do?"

"Oh, I think that the girl will come back here, now we have a lot of time.. we could look around, maybe there are more of your friends here." With that Yubel took Juudai's hand and went off into the garden, still in thought about the possible answer of Juudai which she would have heard if this stupid girl wouldn't have interrupted him.


End file.
